Following the defection of some of its members at the House of Representatives to the ruling All Progressive Congress in the last couple of days, the Labour Party has taken legal action and has gone to court to reclaim its mandate.
Recall that six members of the House of Representatives have left the LP for the APC in about two weeks, citing a leadership crisis in one of Nigeria’s main opposition parties.
On Thursday, Jos South/Jos East representative Akangbe Illiya joined the APC, contributing to the growing number of House of Representatives members who were elected under the LP quitting the party.
The LP in a statement by its spokesman Obiorah Ifo described Illiya’s defection to the APC as “quite unfortunate and condemnable.”
While admitting that the “Constitution guarantees citizens the right to freedom of association,” the party said 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.”
The party has taken legal proceedings to force the National Assembly leadership to proclaim the seats of the departing Labour Party rep members vacant, according to Obiorah. Additionally, the lawsuit demands the restoration of any wages, benefits, and emoluments earned since the date of defection.
The party stated that it “is unnecessary to probe 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 and why the majority of the defectors chose the All Progressives Congress (APC) as their destination point.”
“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.”
