The Labour Party (LP) has taken legal action following the defection of six members of the House of Representatives to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The latest defection involved Akangbe Illiya, representing Jos South/Jos East of Plateau State, who joined the APC on Thursday. This adds to the growing list of Labour Party lawmakers leaving the party.
In a statement, LP spokesperson Obiorah Ifo described Illiya’s defection as “quite unfortunate and condemnable.”
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 party also criticized the lawmakers’ choice of the APC as their destination and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Tajudeen Abass, for allegedly failing to act in line with constitutional provisions.
“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.
In the past two weeks, six Labour Party lawmakers have defected to the APC, citing leadership crises within one of Nigeria’s main opposition parties. The party has vowed to pursue legal remedies to address the defections.