The Labour Party (LP) has threatened legal action against five of its lawmakers who defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
A statement on Thursday by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiorah Ifoh, said the LP would retrieve its mandates from the defectors.
The party premised its decision on the Nigerian constitution and the Electoral Act 2022. The lawmakers defected on the floor of the House of Representatives during plenary on Thursday.
The defectors from LP are Tochukwu Okere (Imo), Donatus Mathew (Kaduna), Bassey Akiba (Cross River), Iyawe Esosa (Edo) and Daulyop Chollom (Plateau).
Their defection letters to the APC were read on the floor of the chamber by the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas.
The statement reads in full, “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 act of defection without first dropping the mandate gotten under the ticket of the party.
“The following lawmakers include 1. Senator Francis Ezenwa Onyewuchi (Imo East) 2. Reps Bassey Akiba (Calabar Municipality/ Odukpani Federal Constituency) 3. Reps Tochukwu Okere (Owerri Federal Constituency), 4. Reps. Donatus Mathew (Kaura Federal Constituency.), 5. Reps Iyawe Esosa (Oredo Federal Constituency) and Daulyop from (Plateau). These lawmakers will feature prominently in the register.
“On that note, we will call on Nigerians to beware of these genres of politicians lacking in clear democratic ideology and ethos rather than ‘Jumpology’ ideology; jumping from one party to the other, in disregard to the enabling laws and without any ideological leaning. If we really want this democracy to thrive, we must isolate these political merchants and opportunists and help bury their mercantilist political enterprise by snubbing, affronting and rejecting them in future polls having exhibited a grave level of character deficit by betraying public trust.”
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