- The party announced plans approach the leadership of the national assembly to invoke extant laws addressing the unauthorised defection of elected lawmakers without due process.
The Labour Party (LP) has expressed strong displeasure over the defection of four of its members in the House of Representatives.
Earlier today, the Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, announced the defection of four LP lawmakers to the All Progressive Congress (APC), citing an alleged crisis within the LP.
The affected lawmakers include Chinedu Okere, Mathew Donatus, Akiba Bassey, and Esosa Iyawe, representing various federal constituencies across the country.
Abbas congratulated the legislators, stating they had “taken the right decision.”
The LP’s national publicity secretary, Obiora Ifoh, condemned the defection, describing it as “unfortunate, irrational, and inconsistent with democratic norms.”
Ifoh added that the party would take legal action against the lawmakers and request the Speaker to declare their seats vacant.
The LP stated that the defection is “irrational, untenable, inconsistent, and alien to all known norms for which democracy stands.”
According to Section 68(g) of the 1999 Constitution, a lawmaker sponsored by a political party cannot join another party before the expiration of their elected term.
The LP has instructed its legal team to commence legal actions against the defectors and regain their mandates in line with the 1999 Constitution and 2022 Electoral Act.
The party said it will also request the Speaker to declare the seats occupied by the defected lawmakers vacant, citing House Rules.
Ifoh said the LP considers it unacceptable for these lawmakers to continue representing their constituencies illegally.
He added that party has decided to create a ‘Hall of Shame’ register for lawmakers who engage in fraudulent defection without dropping their mandate.
The LP warned Nigerians to be cautious of politicians who lack clear democratic principles, exhibiting a character deficit by betraying public trust.
The party emphasized that such politicians must be rejected in future polls.