Senate President Godswill Akpabio says that the opposition presence in the upper legislative chamber has dwindled to about four or five senators.
Akpabio made the remark on Thursday while addressing the national caucus meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abuja.
He said several of the remaining minority lawmakers had privately indicated their willingness to cross over to the ruling party.
The senate president urged party leaders to accommodate defectors fairly, cautioning against exclusion or unequal treatment.
“Let me appeal to all our leaders that all the political stakeholders coming in from other political parties must be given equal opportunities to thrive,” he said.
“There must not be any discrimination. Do your best not to leave anybody behind.”
Reflecting on the numerical shift in the chamber, Akpabio said the opposition had significantly reduced since the start of the current assembly.
“When we came in, the opposition had almost 50 members but today, when I counted, there were about 5 or 4 left in the opposition,” he said.
“Even those five members have whispered to me that I should take them to the President as they are prepared to join the APC.”
He said he was not in favour of a senate dominated entirely by one party and explained that some defectors were allowed to remain in the minority caucus to preserve balance.
Akpabio said the decision applied to senators who had joined the APC in their states but had not formally declared their defection on the senate floor.
He also expressed gratitude to the president over the recent rescue of more than 100 abducted children in Niger state.
“We thank the President for the release of over 100 children who were kidnapped very recently, and we pray to God to give him the ability and the enablement to release the remaining children to rejoin their families,” he said.
He further sympathised with families who lost relatives, including security personnel killed in the course of duty, while offering prayers for the repose of their souls.
