Labour Party Goes To Court Over Reps Who Defected

Following the defection of six members of the House of Representatives to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the Labour Party (LP) has filed a lawsuit.

The most recent defection occurred on Thursday when Akangbe Illiya, who represents Plateau State’s Jos South/Jos East, joined the APC. This contributes to the increasing number of parliamentarians quitting the Labour Party.

The defection of Illiya was deemed “quite unfortunate and condemnable” by LP spokesperson Obiorah Ifo in a statement.

While acknowledging that the “Constitution guarantees citizens the right to freedom of association,” the party emphasized that Section 68(g) of the 1999 Constitution “is emphatic on when to defect and what happens when a lawmaker sponsored by a political party decides to jump ship.”

Obiorah added, “The party has since filed actions in the court to compel the National Assembly leadership to declare the seats of the defected Labour Party lawmakers vacant. The suit also seeks that every salary, emolument, or privilege received, from the date of defection, be returned.”

The lawmakers’ decision to go to the APC and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Tajudeen Abass, were also chastised by the party for allegedly not acting in accordance with the constitution.

“It is unnecessary to probe why most of the defectors chose the All Progressives Congress (APC) as their destination point and why the Speaker of the House of Representatives Hon Tajudeen Abass has refused to respect the provisions of the constitution by declaring their seats vacant,” the statement said.

“However, those politicians who have chosen to abandon the people at this crucial time in their lives are the ones who deserve pity because they have exposed themselves as unworthy of our collective trust going forward,” it added.

Six members of the Labour Party have switched to the APC in the last two weeks, citing leadership issues inside one of the major opposition parties in Nigeria. In order to address the defections, the party has promised to seek legal remedies.