By Abiola Olawale
The Labour Party (LP) has reacted to the recent defection of four of its members at the House of Representatives to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The New Diplomat reports that the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, announced the defections of Chinedu Okere (Owerri municipal/Owerri north/Owerri west federal constituency), Mathew Donatus (Kaura federal constituency of Kaduna), Akiba Basset (Calabar municipal/Odukpani federal constituency of Cross River), and Esosa Iyawe (Oredo federal constituency of Edo), from the Labour party.
Reacting to the development, the party in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, vowed to take legal action against the lawmakers.
Ifoh, in the statement, argued that the defection of the four lawmakers violated the constitution of Nigeria.
The LP maintained that the lawmaker’s defections could only be legally justified in the event of a division within the party or a merger
The statement reads in part “The defection, to us, is quite unfortunate, and we condemn the action which is irrational, untenable, inconsistent and alien to all known norms for which democracy stands.
“Section 68(g) of the 1999 constitution is emphatic on when to defect and what happens when a lawmaker sponsored by a political party decides to jump ship.
“The Constitution states (g) being a person whose election to the House was sponsored by a political party, he becomes a member of another political party before the expiration of the period for which that House was elected;
“Provided that his membership of the latter political party is not as a result of a division in the political party of which he was previously a member or of a merger of two or more political parties or factions by one of which he was previously sponsored;
“Though the Labour Party leadership is undaunted by the defection, it has, however, elected not to allow it slide and has therefore instructed its legal team to commence the legal actions against the defectors.
“And to also commence the process of regaining our mandates in line with the 1999 constitution and 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 the House Rules.
“It is inappropriate and unacceptable for these lawmakers to continue to function as representatives of their constituencies illegally.
“The party has also decided to open a ‘Hall of Shame’ register for these lawmakers or any lawmaker or elected officer of the party who engages in fraudulent acts of defection without first dropping the mandate gotten under the ticket of the party.
“The defected lawmakers will feature prominently in the register.”
