By Divine Ihechimerem
By Our Reporter
The Labour Party (LP) has threatened to take legal action against four members of the House of Representatives who recently defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) from the LP.
The defection was announced on Thursday by House Speaker Tajudeen Abbas. The lawmakers—Chinedu Okere, Mathew Donatus, Akiba Bassey, and Esosa Iyawe—cited an “internal crisis” within the Labour Party as their reason for leaving.
In a statement, LP spokesman Obiora Ifoh said the party would not let the matter go unchecked, instructing its legal team to initiate proceedings to regain the mandates of the defected lawmakers, in line with the 1999 Constitution and the 2022 Electoral Act.
“While the Labour Party leadership remains undeterred, we will not allow this defection to pass without consequence,” Ifoh said. “We have instructed our legal team to pursue action against the defectors and seek to reclaim our mandates.”
He dismissed claims of a crisis within the party, asserting, “There is absolute peace in the Labour Party. No elected official on our ticket is constitutionally entitled to leave the party along with the mandate given by the electorate.”
The Labour Party condemned the defections, describing the actions as “irrational, untenable, inconsistent, and foreign to the principles of democracy.”
Ifoh also revealed that the LP would approach the Speaker of the House to declare the seats of the defected lawmakers vacant, as per the House rules. “It is both inappropriate and illegal for these individuals to continue serving as representatives of their constituencies,” he said.
In addition, the party announced plans to create a “Hall of Shame