The number of All Progressives Congress (APC) senators in the National Assembly has increased to 76 following the defection of Senator Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe (Cross River North) from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday.

‎Jarigbe, who had earlier announced his decision to join the ruling party last week, formally crossed over to the APC side during plenary.

‎His defection letter was read by Deputy Senate President Senator Barau Jibrin, who presided over the session.

‎Explaining his decision, Jarigbe cited “divisions within the PDP” as the reason for leaving the opposition party.

‎With his defection, the PDP now holds 25 seats in the Senate, while the Labour Party has 4, APGA 2, SDP 1, and NNPP 1—bringing the total to 109 senators.

‎The development also means that all three senatorial seats in Cross River State are now occupied by APC members, including Senator Eteng Williams (Cross River Central) and Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong (Cross River South).

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