Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central, has decried the sharp decline in the number of senators elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, revealing that the party has lost 31 lawmakers in the Red Chamber amid its prolonged internal crisis.
Akpoti-Uduaghan spoke on Saturday in Abuja during the inauguration of the PDP Convention Committee, an event party leaders view as a critical step toward rebuilding unity and repositioning the opposition ahead of future elections.
In a statement issued on Sunday by her media aide, Mike Idoko, the lawmaker expressed concern over the scale of defections that have weakened the PDP’s presence in the Senate.
Addressing party members and the media in Abuja, she, however, expressed optimism that the inauguration marks a turning point for the PDP.
“Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, I would say I’m extremely elated tonight simply because we have a political party,” she said.
“Congratulations to everyone here today. I know it’s not been easy. We’ve been on the news back and forth, and that has kept a lot of people wondering what befalls the PDP.”
Akpoti-Uduaghan recalled the steady decline in the party’s Senate representation, attributing it to the leadership crisis that rocked the PDP in recent times.
“When I joined, it was late November 2023. We were 37 PDP senators. But today we’re only six. I tell you, it wasn’t easy. It was almost like at every sitting, you were expecting senators to decamp,” she noted.
According to her, many colleagues cited internal party disputes as the reason for their defection, a situation she believes has now been addressed.
“When I asked a few of them why they were leaving the party, they mentioned the leadership crisis. So I’m saying this to my colleagues who have decamped — trust me, it’s not greener on the other side. You are all welcome back to the PDP,” she added.
In his inaugural acceptance speech as Chairman of the PDP 2026 National Convention Committee, former Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu described the event as a critical moment in the party’s history.
