Nigerian Senate Adjourns, Plans 2026 Budget Passage

The Nigerian Senate has adjourned until March 31, 2026, to pass the 2026 national budget following a Sallah break. This decision was made during a plenary session on Thursday.

In a related development, nine senators announced their defection from various political parties during the same session. Specifically, five senators left the People's Democratic Party (PDP), while three departed from the Labour Party (LP), and one senator resigned from the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

The defectors from the PDP include Dauda Yaro, Lawal Usman, Ogochi Onaw, Aminu Tambuw, and Austin Akubondu. The senators who left the LP are Ireti Kingibi, Victor Umeh, and Toni Nwoye.

The reasons cited for these defections were leadership crises within their respective parties. Notably, the senator who left APGA had been expelled from the party in September 2025, and the Senate's Abaribe had previously reconsidered the defection, stating that the expulsion was not justified under constitutional provisions.