By Kolawole Ojebisi
The Labour Party, has disclosed the punitive measures to be meted out to its members who have defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The party made its position concerning the defection known on Thursday, hours after the development.
This is contained in a statement issued by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh in Abuja.
According to the statement, the party would request the leadership of the House of Representatives to declare vacant the seats of the defected members.
The opposition party also vowed to take legal action against the defecting lawmakers and announced that it had opened a register for members of the House and other elected officials who disgrace the party by switching allegiance to other political platforms.
In the statement, LP’s National Publicity Secretary said, “The party has also decided to open a ‘Hall of Shame’ register for these lawmakers or any elected official of the party who engages in fraudulent defection without first relinquishing the mandate obtained under the party’s ticket.
“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 and without any ideological foundation.
“Although the Labour Party leadership remains undaunted by the defections, it has decided not to let it go unchallenged. The party has instructed its legal team to take action against the defectors and begin the process of regaining our mandates in line with the 1999 Constitution and the 2022 Electoral Act as amended.
“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 House rules. It is inappropriate and unacceptable for these lawmakers to continue to function as representatives of their constituencies illegally.”
The party noted that the defectors had “demonstrated a grave level of character deficit by betraying public trust,” adding that “if we want this democracy to thrive, we must isolate these political merchants and opportunists, and help bury their mercantilist political enterprises by snubbing, affronting, and rejecting them in future elections.”
The LP spokesman further stated that Section 68(g) of the 1999 Constitution is clear on when a lawmaker can defect and the consequences when a lawmaker, sponsored by a political party, decides to switch allegiance.
He recalled that since the formation of LP in 2002, the party had been active on the political scene, having previously produced a governor and several elected officials across various levels of government.
The statement came on the heels of defection of several LP lawmakers in the House to the ruling APC, as their defection letters were read on the floor of the Green Chamber by the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas, on Thursday.
The members of the House who defected include Tochukwu Okere (Imo), Donatus Mathew (Kaduna), Bassey Akiba (Cross River), Iyawe Esosa (Edo), and Daulyop Fom (Plateau).
