The Senate Minority Leader, Abba Moro, on Tuesday warned that the growing wave of defections from opposition parties to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) poses a serious threat to Nigeria’s democratic system.

Moro spoke during plenary on Tuesday, December, following the defection of Senator Barinada Mpigi (Rivers South-East) and Senator Allwell Onyesoh (Rivers East) from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC.

The defections were witnessed by APC leaders and members who were allowed into the Red Chamber after the Senate suspended its rules.

Reacting after plenary resumed, Moro described the development as “a dangerous drift to Nigeria’s democracy,” insisting that such movements weaken opposition and democratic balance.

“I want to insist that this is not good for democracy,” he said. The minority leader also rejected claims that the PDP had collapsed, accusing defecting lawmakers of hiding under a false narrative to justify their actions.

“People defecting from the PDP are hiding under a false narrative that the party has collapsed. They can go ahead, but they should not lie about the state of the party,” Moro said.

“This side of the aisle has not collapsed,” he added, referring to the opposition benches.

Moro’s comments immediately drew objections from Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, who said the minority leader raised his concerns in breach of Senate rules.

“What the minority leader just said were his personal opinions. He ought to have come under Order 42,” Jibrin said. “All that he said is in violation of our rules,” and urged the Senate President to call Moro to order, stating that the procedure adopted was improper.

Presiding over the session, Senate President Godswill Akpabio acknowledged that the protest did not comply with Senate rules, noting that the defection letters had earlier been read in the morning and deferred before being taken again ahead of the main business of the day.

“What Moro did is invalid,” Akpabio said, agreeing that the matter did not come under Order 42.

However, the Senate President added that expressing dissatisfaction should not be suppressed, referring to an earlier remark by Moro that “If you beat a child, you don’t stop him from crying.”

Earlier in the session, the two Rivers senators attributed their decision to internal divisions within the PDP at the national level. Their defection reduced the PDP’s representation in the Senate f’om 26 to 24, while increasing the number of APC senators from 75 to 77. (Daily Sun)