365NEWS gathered that the Labour Party (LP) has vowed to pursue legal action against five defected lawmakers elected on its platform.
The party, through a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh on Thursday in Abuja, asked its legal team to commence legal actions against the defectors and to also commence the process of “regaining our mandates in line with the 1999 constitution and 2022 Electoral Act as amended.”
The Reps members who defected from the LP included Tochukwu Okere (Imo), Donatus Mathew (Kaduna), Bassey Akiba (Cross River), Iyawe Esosa (Edo) and Daulyop from (Plateau).
Their letter of defection to the APC was read on the floor of the Green Chamber by the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas.
The statement said: “Though, the Labour Party leadership is undaunted by the defection, it has however, elected not to allow it slide and has therefore instructed its legal team to commence the legal actions against the defectors and to also commence the process of regaining our mandates in line with the 1999 constitution and 2022 Electoral Act as amended.
“The party will also approach the Speaker of the House of Representatives to declare vacant the seats occupied by these former Labour Party members in line with the House Rules. It is inappropriate and unacceptable for the these lawmakers to continue to function as representatives of their constituencies illegally.
“The party has also decided to open a ‘Hall of Shame’ register for these lawmakers or any lawmaker or elected officer of the party who engages in fraudulent act of defection without first dropping the mandate gotten under the ticket of the party.
“The following lawmakers include 1. Senator Francis Ezenwa Onyewuchi (Imo East) 2. Reps Bassey Akiba (Calabar Municipality/ Odukpani Federal Constituency) 3. Reps Tochukwu Okere (Owerri Federal Constituency), 4. Reps. Donatus Mathew (Kaura Federal Constituency.), 5. Reps Iyawe Esosa (Oredo Federal Constituency) and Daulyop from (Plateau). These lawmakers will feature prominently in the register.
“On that note, we will call on Nigerians to beware of these genres of politicians lacking in clear democratic ideology and ethos rather than ‘Jumpology’ ideology; jumping from one party to the other, in disregard to the enabling laws and without any ideological leaning. If we really want this democracy to thrive, we must isolate these political merchants and opportunists and help bury their mercantilist political enterprise by snubbing, affronting and rejecting them in future polls having exhibited a grave level of character deficit by betraying public trust.”
