Defections: Labour Party don dey suffer big setback ahead 2027

Ahead of di 2027 general elections, di once vibrant Labour Party, LP, don dey appear for di lose steam and membership strength across di country.

According to report wey talk say wen dem di swear in members-elect of di National Assembly for 13 June, 2023, di LP get di third-largest caucus for di National Assembly, with 34 members for di House of Representatives and eight senators.

Di ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, get di largest number of members, followed by di Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, di Labour Party, and di New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP.

Di Peter Obi effect don transform di relatively hide Labour Party into national force, particularly for di Southeast, South-South, North-Central, and Lagos.

Di top-to-bottom voting pattern com help take elect plenty Labour Party lawmakers wey ride on Obi’s popularity.

Eighteen months later, di Labour Party caucus for di National Assembly dey rapidly reduce.

Dis na due to court rulings wey remove four members, Senator Darlington Nwakocha, Stainless Nwodo from Enugu, Emeka Nnamani from Abia, and Chijioke Okereke from Enugu and many of defections wey dey shake di party.

For di last 10 days alone, di Labour Party don lose six members for di House of Representatives to di ruling APC.

Last week, four members 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), leave di party on di same day.

Dis week, Dalyop Chollom and Alfred Ajang, both from Plateau State, don abandon “Mama, Papa, and Pikin” and embrace di APC’s “broom.”

Earlier for July, Senator Ezenwa Onyewuchi also comotfrom di Labour Party to di APC.

Unannounced Defections

According to wetin dem gather say plenty lawmakers for di House don comot without say dem no even announce am to di House members.

For example, some weeks ago, Thaddeus Atta, wey be Labour Party member, dem see am as him com dey wear cap wey dem brand with President Bola Tinubu’s logo, spreading rumours say him don join di ruling party.

Most lawmakers wey don comot dey talk about di ongoing leadership crisis for di Labour Party to take avoid sanctions under Section 68(g) of di 1999 Constitution, wey talk say if pesin comot for him party, dat mean say him seat suppose dey empty.

However, di law provide exception for di cases of division within di party. E provide thus:

“68. (1) Member of di Senate or di House of Representatives don suppose leave dia seat for di House.”

“If na di pesin wey dem sponsor dia election for di House by di political party, dem become member of anoda political party before di expiration of di term of di House, provided say di membership of di latter political party dey due to division for di former party or merger of two or more parties or factions wey dem previously be member.”

Di Labour Party don dey battle internal crisis between di National Working Committee (NWC) led by Julius Abure and anoda faction led by Governor Alex Otti of Abia State.

Party Reaction

Di Julius Abure-led NWC don com release statement, wen him announce say dem don launch court case against di six defecting lawmakers.

For di statement wey dem send by dia spokes pesin, Obiora Ifoh, di party don swear say dem must to collect di return of all salaries, emoluments, and privileges wey di lawmakers don receive since dia defection.

“Dis defections dey unfortunate and condemnable. Politicians wey abandon dia constituents during critical times dey expose themselves as untrustworthy and undeserving of future public confidence,” Ifoh talk.

For di House, di head of di Labour Party caucus, George Ozodinobi, don dey use di 2027 elections as warning against defecting lawmakers.

“I wan wish dose of us wey think say defecting from Labour to APC na dia best decision for politics well.”

“We dey look forward to take meet dem for future again for 2027, if dem go get di opportunity to dey here.”

“And for dose of us wey still dey think say we wan move to anoda party, we wish you well,” Ozodinobi talk following di latest defection,” e talk.

E dey very unclear whether di oda faction go dey support di Abure-led NWC for dia case against di defectors.

Uncertain Future

According to di report, many pipo observe say many Labour Party members dey uncertain about dia future for di party due to di ongoing crisis and rumours of Peter Obi leaving di party to join di PDP.

Speculation about Obi’s intentions heighten some weeks ago wen him meet with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, fuelling rumours of potential joint ticket for 2027.

Di Numbers Game

As result of di recent defections, di Labour Party’s wey dey presence for di National Assembly don seriously reduce.

Di number of Labour Party senators don reduce from eight to six, while dia members for di House of Representatives don drop from 34 to 26.

In total, di party now get 32 lawmakers for di National Assembly. In comparison, di NNPP get 22 lawmakers.

If di Labour Party continue to lose members, e go dey risky to becom di fourth-largest party for di National Assembly.

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