Senator Peter Ndalikali Jiya, who represents Niger South in the Nigerian Senate, has resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and joined the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), becoming the latest in a growing wave of lawmakers abandoning the opposition party.
Jiya’s resignation letter, dated March 10, 2026, was addressed to the PDP chairman in Edokota Ward, Gbako Local Government Area of Niger State, where he cited ongoing internal challenges within the party as his reason for leaving.
In the letter, Jiya wrote that he was resigning “due to the many troubles within her walls,” while expressing gratitude for the opportunities he received to serve the nation through the party. He added that “the thought of this Organization will remain ever fresh and green in my memory and family.”
Jiya’s exit is part of a broader political realignment that has dealt successive blows to the PDP in recent months. On the same day Jiya’s resignation was dated, four other senators — Ikra Bilbis of Zamfara Central, Aminu Iya Abbas of Adamawa Central, Amos Yohanna of Adamawa North, and Ipalibo Harry Banigo of Rivers West — formally announced their defection from the PDP to the APC during a Senate plenary session, with Senate President Godswill Akpabio reading their notices on the floor. The lawmakers also cited internal crises in their former party as the reason for their departure.
Jiya, first elected to the Senate on the PDP platform in the February 2023 general elections, had previously been an outspoken advocate for party unity. As recently as April 2024, he urged PDP members in Niger State to pursue honesty and justice for the party’s progress, and called on supporters to “eschew bitterness and hatred.”
His defection to the APC underscores the deepening crisis within the PDP ahead of the 2027 general elections. According to reports, the PDP has been grappling with a combination of internal crises, leadership tussles, and protracted legal battles that have weakened the party and made it increasingly difficult to maintain cohesion among its lawmakers.
At the conclusion of the 2023 general elections, the APC secured 175 House of Representatives seats, while the PDP followed with 116. Since then, a steady stream of defections — largely in favour of the APC — has continued to alter the balance of power in the legislature.
More defections are expected when the National Assembly resumes on March 31, 2026, with the leadership of the House expected to formally announce a fresh wave of members crossing the aisle.