The Social Democratic Party in Anambra State is set to formally accept no fewer than 23 aspirants who have defected from the African Democratic Congress. State Chairman Prince Chinedu Ekwunife made the announcement on Monday following the party's state congress held at the SDP secretariat in Awka. The event, supervised by officials from the Independent National Electoral Commission, took place between 1:30pm and 2:30pm. INEC representatives present included Nonso Okoli and Kingsley Ajunwa. Ekwunife attributed the defections to the ongoing leadership crisis within the ADC, which has created uncertainty for its National and State Assembly aspirants ahead of the 2027 general elections. He noted that the departure of former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi from the ADC has further accelerated the wave of defections. The SDP state congress adopted a new State Executive Committee through a consensus-driven process. Ekwunife said the party has reactivated its structures in all 326 wards across the state's 21 local government areas. He stated that ward chairmen, executives and polling unit coordinators are now in place. "Today, the SDP in Anambra has functional leadership across all 326 wards," he said. The party described its internal processes as peaceful, orderly and in line with its constitution. Ekwunife acknowledged inheriting a weakened organisational structure but said significant progress had been made. The SDP is positioning itself as a credible alternative in Anambra's political space.