The Labour Party (LP) has initiated legal action to reclaim the mandates of five lawmakers who recently defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). These lawmakers include Tochukwu Okere (Imo), Donatus Mathew (Kaduna), Bassey Akiba (Cross River), Iyawe Esosa (Edo), and Daulyop Chollom (Plateau). Their defection letters were read by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, during a recent plenary session.
The party is basing its case on Section 68(g) of the 1999 Constitution, which mandates that lawmakers who defect without a valid reason, such as a division within their original party, should vacate their seats. LP has also urged the Speaker to declare these seats vacant, though they anticipate resistance due to the Speaker’s alignment with the defectors.
Additionally, the LP plans to compile a “Hall of Shame” register to name and shame defectors as part of its strategy to deter such actions in the future.
