El-Rufai's Son Leads Reps Exodus to NDC, ADC Amidst Political Shake-Up

The gale of defections sweeping through the House of Representatives gathered momentum on Thursday as more lawmakers dumped their parties for the Nigeria Democratic Congress and the African Democratic Congress. The latest defections come barely days after 17 members of the House moved to the NDC, signalling what many observers see as an aggressive effort by opposition forces to build a broad coalition capable of challenging President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress in the next election cycle. At plenary on Thursday, presided over by Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas, five lawmakers formally announced their decisions to switch political parties, citing internal crises, leadership disputes and ideological disagreements within their former parties. Those who defected were Muhammed El-Rufai, son of former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, from the APC to the NDC; Joshua Obika, representing Abaji/Gwagwalada/Kuje/Kwali Federal Constituency of the Federal Capital Territory, from the APC to the NDC and Abdulhakeem Kamilu, member representing the Wudil/Garko Federal Constituency of Kano State, from the ADC to the NDC. Also, Suleiman Richifa and Umar Ajilo, both from Kaduna State, dumped the Peoples Democratic Party for the ADC. The younger El-Rufai, who represents Kaduna North Federal Constituency, had faced months of speculation over his political future following growing tensions between his father and the President Bola Tinubu administration. Though he had maintained a low profile in recent months, his decision to join the NDC is widely seen as a significant political statement, especially given the strained relationship between the former governor and the Federal Government. Nasir El-Rufai, once a key figure in the APC and a strong ally of President Tinubu during the 2023 election campaign, has in recent months become increasingly critical of the ruling party and the direction of the Federal Government. The former governor’s failed ministerial nomination in 2023 marked the beginning of a visible crack between him and the presidency. • Nigeria safer from phone snatching than UK, Cameroon, Tinubu's aide claims • Edo Speaker apologises to constituency over re-election bid • APC, Adeleke camps trade blame over billboard vandalism Since then, he has repeatedly accused the APC leadership of abandoning internal democracy and sidelining key stakeholders within the party. Obika, who represents the Abaji/Gwagwalada/Kuje/Kwali Federal Constituency of the FCT, marked his third political movement in less than two years with the latest defection. The lawmaker was elected into the House in 2023 on the platform of the Labour Party before joining the APC in March 2026 and now the NDC. Announcing his latest defection on Thursday, Obika aligned himself with the growing opposition bloc rallying around the NDC. Kamilu from Kano State resigned from the ADC, citing what he described as an “internal leadership crisis” within the party. He had only recently moved to the ADC from the New Nigeria People’s Party, the platform on which he was elected in 2023. Richifa and Ajilo blamed their decision to dump the PDP on what they described as the prolonged crisis rocking the party “from the state to the national level.” Thursday’s defections further altered the balance of forces in the House and reinforced expectations that more lawmakers may switch allegiances in the coming months as consultations and coalition talks intensify ahead of the next election season.