From Idu Jude, Abuja
The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Labour Party has announced plans to approach the leadership of the National Assembly to invoke extant laws addressing the unauthorised defection of elected lawmakers without due process.
In a press statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, on Thursday, the party expressed discontent over the defection of some of its lawmakers in the National Assembly to the ruling APC.
According to the party, the lawmakers’ letters of defection to the APC were read on the floor of the Green Chamber by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas on Thursday, 5th December.
The statement reads: “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, 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.’”
The NWC emphasised that since the Labour Party’s formation in 2002, it has actively contributed to Nigeria’s political landscape, producing a governor and several elected officials. The party noted that the 2023 general election was its most significant achievement under the leadership of Barrister Julius Abure, winning one governorship seat, eight Senate seats, 35 House of Representatives seats, and numerous state House of Assembly positions.
“The party also caused a major upset at the presidential election, one that many Nigerians still believe the Labour Party won,” the statement added.
While acknowledging the internal pressures following the election, the NWC stated these had been resolved through internal mechanisms and judicial processes, ensuring stability within the party.
The party declared that lawmakers elected under its platform have no constitutional basis to defect and retain their mandates. “These deserters did not win because of their pedigree or financial muscles but because of the Labour Party ticket and the support of millions of Nigerians who entrusted their future to them,” the statement continued.
It criticised the defectors for betraying the party and the electorate. “Nigerians invested their tears, blood, and all to see these changes and entrusted their future to these lawmakers. Unfortunately, they were easily swayed after being initiated into the ‘cabal club’ with N160 million limousines and other allowances running into hundreds of millions,” the NWC lamented.
The party specifically referenced the defection of Hon. Donatus Mathew, who claimed his move was due to being the sole Labour Party member in the Northwest, not because of any party crisis. The NWC condemned this reasoning as a grave insult to the efforts of party members in his constituency.
The statement also criticised lawmakers such as Reps Okere, Akiba, Esosa, and Fom, who, it claimed, benefited significantly from the party’s resources and support yet abandoned it without contributing anything in return during their legislative tenures.
The NWC revealed plans to take legal action against the defectors to reclaim their mandates. It also intends to petition the Speaker of the House of Representatives to declare the seats of the defectors vacant in accordance with the law.
To deter further defections, the party announced the creation of a “Hall of Shame” to document lawmakers or elected officials who abandon the Labour Party’s mandate for personal gain.
The defectors include Senator Francis Ezenwa Onyewuchi (Imo East), Reps Bassey Akiba (Calabar Municipality/Odukpani), Reps Tochukwu Okere (Owerri), Reps Donatus Mathew (Kaura), Reps Iyawe Esosa (Oredo), and Reps Daulyop Fom (Plateau).
The Labour Party urged Nigerians to reject politicians who lack democratic ideology, describing them as opportunists undermining public trust. “If we want this democracy to thrive, we must isolate these political merchants and opportunists, rejecting them in future polls,” the statement concluded.