The House of Representatives witnessed a significant political shift on Thursday as five lawmakers from the Labour Party (LP) and one from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) announced their defection to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The defecting Labour Party lawmakers include Esosa Iyawe (Edo), Tochukwu Okere (Imo), Donatus Matthew (Kaduna), Bassey Akiba (Cross River), and Daulyop Fom (Plateau). Additionally, Erhiatake Ibori-Suenu, a PDP lawmaker and daughter of former Delta State Governor James Ibori, also joined the APC.
Explaining their decision, the Labour Party defectors cited internal divisions within their party as the driving force behind their move.
“The Labour Party has been engulfed in intra-party crises since the 2023 general elections, making it difficult to provide the kind of representation we envisioned,” one of the defectors stated.
This development marks a further blow to the Labour Party, which achieved unprecedented success during the 2023 elections by securing six Senate seats and over 34 House of Representatives seats.
Political analysts had expected the Labour Party to form a strong opposition bloc alongside the PDP following its presidential candidate Peter Obi’s third-place finish in the 2023 polls. However, post-election internal conflicts have plagued the party, leading to a decline in its influence.
