Ireti Kingibe Dumps Labour Party, Joins ADC

Senator Ireti Kingibe has formally defected from the Labour Party to the African Democratic Congress, completing the process with her official registration at the ADC national headquarters in Abuja in the presence of party leaders, supporters and political associates.

Kingibe, who had announced her intention to leave the Labour Party in July as part of her broader political realignment ahead of the 2027 general elections, said the timing and manner of her registration were intentional. “I’m totally and completely committed to ADC. But obviously, as the senator representing the Federal Capital Territory, don’t expect me to just take a lunch break and go collect a card. I want to do so with noise and fanfare,” she said, reiterating her earlier position on the significance of the defection.

At a ceremony in Abuja where she collected her ADC membership card, Kingibe said the decision reflected her assessment of the party’s organisational capacity and its vision for governance.

She stated, “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, vibrant and growing from strength to strength,” underscoring her view of the party’s growing influence in the nation’s capital.

Senior figures within the ADC welcomed Kingibe’s defection as a substantial acquisition for the party. Balarabe Rufai, the ADC youth leader, described her entry as consolidating ongoing coalition efforts and positioning the party to challenge the dominance of the ruling All Progressives Congress in forthcoming contests.

Atiku Saleh, the party’s deputy organising secretary, presented Kingibe’s membership card and said, “ADC is one family. By God’s grace, come 2027, we will emerge victorious,” framing her decision as an endorsement of the party’s credibility and its potential as an alternative political force.