Labour Party, LP’s Senator Ireti Kingibe for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has officially defected to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), saying she was swayed by the opposition party’s growing strength and visionary outlook as key reasons for her decision.
Mrs. Kingibe, 71, made her move public at Merit House in Abuja, witnessed by ADC leaders, political stakeholders, and supporters.
At the defection ceremony, Senator Kingibe said: “I have chosen to join the African Democratic Congress because it is a giant in the making. In the FCT, ADC is not just present, it is strong, it is vibrant, and it is growing from strength to strength,” she declared to thunderous applause.
Kingibe emphasized that her move was driven by a desire to work with a platform that prioritizes people-oriented governance and inclusive development.
Comrade Balarabe Rufai, the ADC Youth Leader, hailed the senator’s defection as a monumental gain for the party.
“We’ve caught a big fish in Senator Ireti Kingibe,” he said. “Her entrance into our fold consolidates the coalition we’ve been building. With the FCT council elections around the corner, ADC is ready to field candidates who will give the APC a run for its money.”
The National Organising Secretary of the ADC, Atiku Saleh, formally received Senator Kingibe into the party, describing the moment as “a turning point.”
Her political career began in 1990 with her appointment as Adviser to the National Chairman of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP), her husband, Ambassador Baba Gana Kingibe.
In 2003 she was the FCT senatorial candidate for the All Nigeria Peoples Party. She defected to the People’s Democratic Party in 2006.
However, in 2014 she joined the All Progressive Congress (APC).
In 2015 she ran for the senatorial seat under APC, but she later withdrew.
Kingibe joined the Labour Party in 2022, became its FCT senatorial candidate, and won the 2023 Nigerian Senate election.
She was named the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Women Affairs in the 10th Senate on 8 August 2023.
