On Thursday, December 5, the Labour Party (LP) announced plans to take legal action and declare vacant the seats of four lawmakers who defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The four lawmakers, representing LP in the National Assembly, are Chinedu Okere (Owerri Municipal/Owerri North/Owerri West Constituency, Imo), Mathew Donatus (Kaura Federal Constituency, Kaduna), Akiba Bassey (Calabar Municipal/Odukpani Constituency, Cross River), and Esosa Iyawe (Oredo Federal Constituency, Edo).
In a statement signed by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiorah Ifoh, the LP condemned the defections, calling the actions “irrational, untenable, inconsistent, and against the principles of democracy.” The party referred to Section 68(g) of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution, which outlines the legal consequences of lawmakers defecting to another party before the expiration of their term unless the defection is due to party division or merger.
The statement continued, “The Labour Party leadership is undaunted by the defection, but it has elected not to let it slide. Legal action will be taken against the defectors, and the process to regain our mandates will begin in line with the 1999 Constitution and the 2022 Electoral Act.”
Additionally, the LP plans to approach the Speaker of the House of Representatives to request the declaration of vacant seats for these defecting lawmakers. The party stated that it is “inappropriate and unacceptable” for the defectors to continue serving as representatives of their constituencies while holding their seats “illegally.”
The Labour Party also introduced a “Hall of Shame” register for any member who defects or engages in fraudulent acts without relinquishing their mandate obtained under the party’s ticket.
