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Bello El-Rufai, Four Other Reps Dump APC and PDP as Wave of Defections Hits House of Representatives — Lawmakers Cite "Internal Crises and Uncertainty"
Bello El-Rufai, son of former Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai, was among five members of the House of Representatives who defected from the APC and PDP on Thursday.
The House of Representatives has been hit by a fresh wave of defections, with five lawmakers abandoning their parties for smaller platforms in a dramatic move that exposes the deepening fractures within Nigeria's dominant political organisations. On Thursday, May 7, Speaker Tajudeen Abbas read out the letters of defection during plenary, confirming that Bello El-Rufai — son of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai — had quit the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to join the African Democratic Congress (ADC). Two PDP members from Kaduna State, Reps Umar Ajilo and Suleiman Yahaya Richifa, did the same, while Kano lawmaker Kamilu Ado moved from the ADC to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and FCT representative Joshua Obika resigned from the APC to join the NDC.
The defections, coming just days after a similar wave in the Senate and amid a broader realignment ahead of the 2027 general elections, have rattled both the APC and the PDP. All five lawmakers cited "internal crises and uncertainty" within their former parties as the reason for their departure, a phrase that has become the standard diplomatic language for politicians fleeing platforms they no longer believe can deliver electoral victory or protect their political interests. For the APC, the loss of Bello El-Rufai — a scion of one of the party's most prominent but increasingly embattled families — is particularly symbolic.
Bello El-Rufai's Exit: A Family's Political Reckoning
Bello El-Rufai's defection cannot be separated from the political trajectory of his father, Nasir El-Rufai, the former Kaduna governor whose relationship with the APC has steadily unravelled since he left office in 2023. Once a key architect of the APC's 2015 and 2019 victories, the elder El-Rufai has become an increasingly vocal critic of the party's direction, and his political isolation was cemented when the Senate refused to confirm his ministerial nomination later that year. The younger El-Rufai, who represents a federal constituency in Kaduna North, has now followed his father's trajectory out of the ruling party, choosing the ADC — a party that has been positioning itself as a home for displaced APC and PDP figures.
In his defection letter, Bello El-Rufai wrote that the APC had "lost its founding vision" and had become "intolerant of internal democracy and dismissive of the voices of young leaders." He added: "I can no longer, in good conscience, remain in a party where the principles of justice, fairness, and inclusion have been sacrificed on the altar of personal ambition and factional supremacy." The letter did not mention President Tinubu by name, but the implication was clear: the younger El-Rufai, like his father, believes the ruling party has become inhospitable to those who are not part of the current power structure.
The Kaduna Connection: PDP Lawmakers Jump Ship
The defection of Reps Umar Ajilo and Suleiman Yahaya Richifa from the PDP to the ADC adds another layer to the Kaduna political drama. Both lawmakers represent constituencies in the state, and their departure weakens the PDP's already fragile presence in the House of Representatives. In their defection letters, the two cited the "persistent internal crisis" within the PDP — a reference to the ongoing factional war between the Wike-led National Working Committee and the Makinde-Turaki faction that has paralysed the party at the national level.
"The PDP in Kaduna and nationally has become a theatre of endless conflict," Ajilo told journalists after the plenary. "We cannot face our constituents and tell them we are in a party that cannot even hold a national convention or agree on who its acting chairman is. We need a stable platform, and the ADC offers that." The ADC's Kaduna chapter has been actively courting disaffected politicians from both major parties, and with the addition of three House of Representatives members from the state, it is now positioned as a serious third-force contender in the 2027 elections.
The NDC Gains Ground
While the ADC was the primary beneficiary of the Kaduna defections, the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) — a relatively new party that has been gaining traction in recent weeks — picked up two members on Thursday. Kano lawmaker Kamilu Ado left the ADC itself, citing "ideological alignment" with the NDC's platform, while FCT representative Joshua Obika quit the APC over what he described as "the complete marginalisation of Abuja's indigenous people in the affairs of the ruling party."
The NDC has been positioning itself as a party of "fresh ideas and generational change," and its ranks have swelled in recent weeks following the high-profile defection of former presidential candidates Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso earlier this week. While Ado and Obika are not household names, their defection adds to the growing perception that the NDC is building a credible national presence — one that could complicate the electoral arithmetic for both the APC and PDP in 2027. "The NDC is not yet a mass movement," said Dr. Nura Ibrahim, a political scientist at Bayero University, Kano. "But it is accumulating pieces, and you cannot ignore the rate at which it is attracting defectors. Every defection is a signal to others that the party is viable."
What This Means for the House
The defections have altered the composition of the House of Representatives, though not dramatically enough to threaten the APC's majority. The ruling party entered the week with 175 of the 360 seats; the loss of El-Rufai and Obika reduces that figure marginally but does not shift the balance of power. The PDP's loss of two members further erodes its status as the main opposition in the lower chamber, a position that is increasingly symbolic given the party's inability to mount a coherent legislative agenda.
However, the psychological impact of the defections is significant. They come at a moment when both the APC and PDP are bleeding members to smaller parties, and they reinforce a narrative that Nigeria's two dominant political platforms are losing their grip on the political class. "When you see defections of this nature, it is rarely about ideology — it is about survival," said Amina Bala, a legislative affairs analyst. "These lawmakers are reading the political map for 2027 and concluding that their current platforms may not be the vehicles that carry them to re-election. They are moving to parties where they feel their ambitions have clearer paths."
For House Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, the defections present a managerial challenge. While he has maintained a cordial relationship with members across party lines, a fracturing House makes coalition-building more difficult and increases the likelihood of legislative gridlock as the 2027 elections approach. Abbas, who read the letters without comment on Thursday, will need to navigate a chamber where shifting allegiances make every vote unpredictable.
A Legislature in Flux
The defection of Bello El-Rufai and four other House members is a reminder that Nigeria's political map is being redrawn — not by election results, but by the quiet, calculated movements of individual politicians who see the old order crumbling. As the ADC and NDC build their benches, and as the APC and PDP struggle to contain internal crises, the question for 2027 is no longer whether the two-party system will hold, but what will emerge in its place. For now, the House of Representatives mirrors the nation: fluid, uncertain, and waiting for the next move.
Stay tuned to Unuevbo TV for more coverage of party defections, the shifting composition of the National Assembly, and the political realignments defining the road to 2027.
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