ABUJA, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)-A member of the House of Representatives representing Okpe/Sapele/Uvwie Federal Constituency in Delta State, Benedict Etanabene, has explained why some of his colleagues from the Labour Party (LP) are defecting to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Etanabene attributed the defections to fears sparked by the outcome of recent governorship elections in Edo and Ondo states, where APC candidates emerged victorious.
He further clarified that there is no internal crisis within the Labour Party that would justify the lawmakers’ decision to join the ruling party.
“There is no leadership crisis in the Labour Party,” he said on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
“If it is about those issues, I can tell you that the larger number of those who just left are people that believe in the leadership of Julius Abure.
READ ALSO: LP Threatens Legal Action Against Defected Lawmakers
“It is not only the Labour Party. I am expecting the trend from other opposition parties. What happened in Edo and Ondo is frightening to the extent that in 2027, it is going to be business as usual for APC. They have started thinking of positioning themselves,” he said.
The lawmaker expressed frustration over the lack of credibility in Nigeria’s electoral process, lamenting that votes no longer seem to count and calling for systemic reforms.
According to a report by Daily Post, four members of the Labour Party (LP) caucus in the House of Representatives defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) on Thursday.
The defecting lawmakers include Chinedu Okere (Owerri Municipal/Owerri North/Owerri West Constituency), Mathew Donatus (Kaura Federal Constituency, Kaduna), Akiba Bassey (Calabar Municipal/Odukpani Constituency), and Esosa Iyawe (Oredo Federal Constituency, Edo).
Their defection was officially announced by Speaker Abbas Tajudeen during a House session.
Meanwhile, the LP has vowed to invoke the law by declaring the defectors’ seats vacant.