El-Rufai’s son, four others defect in major political shake-up in House of Representatives

Fresh defections have hit the House of Representatives as five lawmakers dumped the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Among the defectors is Muhammed El-Rufai, son of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai and member representing Kaduna North Federal Constituency.

Muhammed El-Rufai officially defected from the APC to the NDC during plenary on Thursday, a move political observers say further signals the widening rift between the El-Rufai political camp and the ruling party.

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, read the letters of defection on the floor of the chamber.

Muhammed El-Rufai’s exit comes months after growing speculations about his political future following repeated criticisms of President Bola Tinubu’s administration by his father, Nasir El-Rufai.

The former Kaduna governor, once regarded as one of Tinubu’s strongest allies within the APC, has in recent months accused the ruling party of abandoning internal democracy and sidelining loyal stakeholders.

Also joining the NDC is Joshua Obika, representing Abaji/Gwagwalada/Kuje/Kwali Federal Constituency of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Obika defected from the APC to the NDC, marking his third political movement since the inauguration of the 10th Assembly.

He was originally elected on the platform of the Labour Party in 2023 before defecting to the APC in March 2026.

Similarly, Abdulhakeem Kamilu, representing Wudil/Garko Federal Constituency of Kano State, dumped the ADC for the NDC, citing unresolved leadership disputes within the party.

Kamilu was elected into the House on the platform of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) before earlier defecting to the ADC.

In another development, two Kaduna lawmakers — Suleiman Richifa and Umar Ajilo — left the PDP for the ADC.

The lawmakers blamed lingering crises within the PDP at both state and national levels for their decision.

The latest wave of defections comes barely days after reports that at least 17 lawmakers aligned themselves with the NDC, highlighting growing opposition realignments ahead of the 2027 elections.

The development has further altered the political balance in the House of Representatives and intensified speculations that more defections could follow in the coming months as consultations and coalition talks continue across major political camps.