Labour Party Threatens Legal Action Against Defected Lawmakers

Despite these setbacks, Ifoh emphasized that the Labour Party remains steadfast and will actively combat the trend of defections to safeguard its democratic principles and political mandates.

Abuja, Nigeria – The Labour Party (LP) has expressed its intent to pursue legal action against lawmakers and other elected officials who have defected from the party to other political platforms, labeling the practice as fraudulent and unconstitutional.

In a statement released on Thursday, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiorah Ifoh, criticized the recent wave of defections, particularly targeting four members of the House of Representatives who have joined the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). The defectors include Tochukwu Chinedu Okere (Imo), Donatus Matthew (Kaduna), Akiba Bassey (Cross River), and Esosa Iyawe (Edo).

As a response to these defections, Ifoh announced that the party has created a “Hall of Shame” register to document the names of party members and elected officials who abandon their mandates without due process.

“These lawmakers will feature prominently in the register. We call on Nigerians to beware of this genre of politicians, who lack a clear democratic ideology and instead follow a ‘Jumpology’ mentality, hopping from one party to another in disregard of the enabling laws,” Ifoh stated.

The Labour Party leadership has tasked its legal team with initiating proceedings to reclaim the mandates of the defected lawmakers. According to Ifoh, these actions are backed by the provisions of the 1999 Constitution and the 2022 Electoral Act (as amended), which bar elected officials from defecting unless there is a division within their original party or a merger involving the party.

“The party will also approach the Speaker of the House of Representatives to declare vacant the seats occupied by these former Labour Party members in line with the House Rules,” Ifoh added.

This is not the first instance of defections within the Labour Party. In July, Ezenwa Onyewuchi, a Labour Party Senator, defected to the APC. His defection was formally acknowledged by Senate President Godswill Akpabio during a session in the red chamber.

Despite these setbacks, Ifoh emphasized that the Labour Party remains steadfast and will actively combat the trend of defections to safeguard its democratic principles and political mandates.