On Thursday, the Labour Party announced its intention to urge the leadership of the House of Representatives to declare vacant the seats of its former members who recently defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The opposition party also pledged to take legal action against the defecting lawmakers and revealed it had created a register to track members of the House and other elected officials who “disgrace” the party by switching allegiance to different political platforms.
The announcement was made in a statement issued in Abuja by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh. Ifoh’s concerns were triggered by the defection of several LP lawmakers to the ruling APC, with their defection letters read out on the floor of the House by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas on Thursday.
The lawmakers who defected include Tochukwu Okere (Imo), Donatus Mathew (Kaduna), Bassey Akiba (Cross River), Iyawe Esosa (Edo), and Daulyop Fom (Plateau).
Read Also: Five Reps Members Dump Labour Party For APC
In the statement, LP’s National Publicity Secretary said, “The party has also decided to open a ‘Hall of Shame’ register for these lawmakers or any elected official of the party who engages in fraudulent defection without first relinquishing the mandate obtained under the party’s ticket.
“These lawmakers will feature prominently in the register. We call on Nigerians to beware of this genre of politicians, who lack a clear democratic ideology and instead follow a
‘Jumpology’ mentality, hopping from one party to another in disregard of the enabling laws and without any ideological foundation.
“Although the Labour Party leadership remains undaunted by the defections, it has decided not to let it go unchallenged. The party has instructed its legal team to take action against the defectors and begin the process of regaining our mandates in line with the 1999 Constitution and the 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 House rules. It is inappropriate and unacceptable for these lawmakers to continue to function as representatives of their constituencies illegally.”
The party noted that the defectors had “demonstrated a grave level of character deficit by betraying public trust,” adding that “if we want this democracy to thrive, we must isolate these political merchants and opportunists, and help bury their mercantilist political enterprises by snubbing, affronting, and rejecting them in future elections.”
The LP spokesman further emphasized that Section 68(g) of the 1999 Constitution clearly outlines the circumstances under which a lawmaker can defect and the consequences for a lawmaker who, having been sponsored by a political party, decides to switch allegiance.
He also reminded that since its formation in 2002, the Labour Party has been a significant force in the political arena, having previously produced a governor and several elected officials across various levels of government.
For More Information And News Update, Join Informant Online WhatsApp Channel With Link Below:
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaihFajBadmT29ufud2Z
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaihFajBadmT29ufud2Z
