Several Labour Party (LP) members in the House of Representatives may join the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), according to Etanabene Benedict, an LP lawmaker representing Okpe/Sapele/Uvwie Federal Constituency in Delta State. He made this revelation during an interview on Channels Television, following the defection of four LP lawmakers to the APC.
According to Etanabene Benedict, some of them believe that staying with the party will make it difficult for them to gain reelection in 2027. As a result of this ambiguity, worries regarding their stay in the party have grown.
He noted that the defections have only made these fears worse, especially in places like Edo and Ondo. Many parliamentarians, he said, are doubting whether the Labour Party has the capacity and organisation to sustain their political aspirations over the long term. Joining the ruling APC may appear like a safer way for some people to keep their political careers and influence.
"These concerns are indicative of a larger tendency among politicians to put their chances of surviving in the competitive political environment ahead of party loyalty," he said.
The four lawmakers who recently switched to the APC are Chinedu Okere (Owerri Municipal/Owerri North/Owerri West), Mathew Donatus (Kaura Federal Constituency), Akiba Bassey (Calabar Municipal/Odukpani), and Esosa Iyawe (Oredo Federal Constituency). They attributed their defection to internal conflicts within the Labour Party.
Etanabene, however, refuted these claims, asserting that there isn't a leadership problem at the LP. He said that the reasons for the defectors' departure had nothing to do with any significant issues within the party.
In retaliation, the Labour Party has threatened legal action. The party plans to ask the House of Representatives leadership to declare the seats of the lawmakers who defected empty because they were elected on LP policies. Etanabene further foresaw that as MPs face obstacles pertaining to their political survival, similar defections would take place in other opposition parties.
The development underscores the difficulties opposition parties encounter in holding onto members in a highly competitive political environment.
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