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The All Progressives Congress has tightened its grip on the Senate by increasing its membership to 88 lawmakers following the inauguration of four new senators elected in recent by-elections. The four new lawmakers – Ikeje Asogwa of Enugu North Senatorial District, Dayo Faduyile of Ondo South Senatorial District, Danladi Envulu-Anza of Nasarawa North Senatorial District, and Olaka Nwogu of the Peoples Democratic Party representing Rivers South-East Senatorial District – were sworn in on June 24 by President of the Senate Godswill Akpabio.
Asogwa won the Enugu North seat with 162,360 votes, defeating the PDP's Nestor Ezeme, who polled 9,299 votes, while Nwogu emerged victorious in Rivers South-East with 47,961 votes to defeat APC candidate Osar Erewari who secured 1,647 votes. Faduyile clinched the Ondo South seat after polling 68,474 votes to defeat Adeolu Akinwunmi of the Allied People’s Movement who scored 1,411 votes. Envulu-Anza won the Nasarawa North seat with 45,362 votes ahead of his closest rival.
Despite the recent defections of four lawmakers from the APC, including a former Inspector-General of Police, Abubakar Adamu, and two serving senators from Bauchi State, the ruling party continues to maintain its majority in the National Assembly. The defections were reportedly triggered by grievances over the APC primaries ahead of the 2027 general elections. However, the APC has continued to expand its numerical advantage in the Senate through a combination of defections into the party and victories in by-elections.
The party won three additional senatorial seats in the June by-elections in Ondo, Enugu, and Nasarawa states, increasing the number of APC senators from 85 to 88, leaving the opposition with significantly reduced numbers. In contrast, the PDP’s representation has shrunk dramatically from 36 senators at inauguration to just five. The Labour Party, which began the current Assembly with eight senators, now has only one member, while the New Nigeria Peoples Party has lost both of its original seats.
At the inauguration of the 10th Senate in June 2023, the APC controlled 59 seats. That figure has now risen to 88. The ADC, which had no senator at the inauguration of the 10th Senate, now controls nine seats, while the Accord Party has one senator. The NDC, one of the country’s newest political parties established barely five months ago, has retained its sole senator through its National Leader and Bayelsa West lawmaker, Seriake Dickson.
With the inauguration of the four new senators, all 109 constitutionally prescribed seats in the Senate are now occupied. The Enugu North seat became vacant following the death of the former senator, Okey Ezea, on November 18, 2025. The Rivers South-East seat became vacant following the appointment of former senator Barry Mpigi as Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations. The Ondo South seat became vacant following the appointment of former senator Jimoh Ibrahim as Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations. The Nasarawa North seat became vacant following the death of the former senator, who will not be named here for brevity.