The Labour Party (LP) has announced plans to take legal action against five of its lawmakers in the House of Representatives who just defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The affected lawmakers are Tochukwu Okere (Imo), Donatus Matthew (Kaduna), Bassey Akiba (Cross River), Esosa Iyawe (Edo) and Daulyop Fom (Plateau).
Their decision to leave the party was officially disclosed during a House session on Thursday.
In its initial reaction, however, the Labour Party expressed disappointment, stating that the defections were unjustified.
The party referenced the 1999 Constitution, which requires a valid reason, such as internal division, for a lawmaker to switch parties without losing their seat.
The party said the Rep members abandoned their mandate and betrayed the trust of voters who supported them under the Labour Party platform.
The party further stated that the lawmakers benefited from its support during the 2023 general elections, in which the Party achieved historic victories.
Many of these candidates were ordinary citizens who gained political opportunities through LP’s grassroots-focused policies, the party said.
The Party said it has instructed its legal team to pursue the retrieval of the defectors’ mandates and will also ask the Speaker of the House to declare their seats vacant.
Furthermore, the party said it plans to create a “Hall of Shame” to document cases of defections it considers a betrayal of public trust.
Another lawmaker, Erhiatake Ibori-Suenu from Delta State, left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to join the APC.
Erthiatake is the daughter of former Delta State Governor, Mr James Ibori.
The lawmakers’ letters of defection to the APC was read on the floor of the Green Chamber by the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas on Thursday.
Confirming the development, Matthew, who represents Kaura Federal Constituency of Kaduna State, said the decision to defect to the APC is based on conviction.
Asked if his imminent defection has the backing of his Constituency, Matthew who made history when he won the parliamentary election in 2023 as a commercial motorcycle rider said, “You cannot just work on the decision of the people at the constituency level because you are dealing with people with different levels of understanding.
“I am taking this decision based on conviction. That is why whether you like it or not, there are people within the constituency who are convinced that it (defection) is the right decision for them. There are those who are skeptical waiting for the outcome,” he said.
The Labour Party made big gains in the 2023 elections, winning over 34 House of Representatives seats and six Senate positions.
However, disagreements within the party have caused dissatisfaction among its rank and file.
