The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has suffered yet another blow in the Senate as Senator Benson Agadaga, representing Bayelsa East, has officially left the opposition party for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Senator Agadaga announced his defection during Wednesday’s plenary, in a letter addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio. The letter was read on the floor of the upper chamber.
In his message to the Senate, Agadaga said his decision marked “a time for change” in his political path, noting that the PDP had lost direction and unity.
“This is a notice of my defection from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress. The Bible says that there is a time for everything. I believe this is the time for me to move on,” he wrote.
According to him, the once-strong PDP has become a shadow of itself, torn apart by internal battles and selfish interests.
“It is most astonishing and deeply disheartening to observe that the world’s largest political party in Africa has been torn into shreds due to internal wrangling. The centre can no longer hold. The umbrella has been bastardised, and it is leaking profusely,” the senator added.
Agadaga, a veteran politician from Bayelsa State, said his decision followed deep reflection and wide consultations. He accused the PDP of losing its moral standing and focus, saying it no longer represents the ideals that once defined it.
Before his election to the Senate, Agadaga had served in several capacities under the Bayelsa State Government, including as Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Executive Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board, Special Adviser on Establishment Affairs, and Chief of Staff to the Governor.
He, however, acknowledged that his political rise was largely made possible by the PDP during its early years when the party was “intact and purposeful.”
“The fact that I stand today as a distinguished senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is due to the benevolence of the Peoples Democratic Party when it was united and visionary,” he noted.
News reports stated that Senator Agadaga’s defection comes amid growing instability within the PDP, as more lawmakers continue to cross over to the ruling APC in recent months.
Recall that just weeks ago, another PDP senator representing Cross River North, Senator Agom Jarigbe also defected to the APC, citing similar grievances over disunity and poor leadership within the opposition party.