The plenary of the House of Representatives went up in uproar on Thursday morning as members of the opposition protested the defection of another member of the Labour Party to the All Progressives Congress.
The member representing Jos South/Jos East Federal Constituency of Plateau State announced his defection to the APC.
However, his decision was greeted by an uproar by opposition members who insisted that his seat should be declared vacant.
His defection to the APC which brings to six the number of Labour Party members to have defected within one week was witnessed by former Plateau State governor, Senator Simon Lalong.
In his letter of defection read at plenary by Speaker Abbas Tajudeen, the lawmaker said he was defecting in view of the crisis in the Labour Party and the need to align with the policies and developmental initiative of the Bola Tinubu led APC government.
In addition, the Plateau State lawmaker said that he believed that his decision to offer effective representation to his constituency will be better met while in the fold of the APC.
He said further that as a result of the current crisis in the party, he finds it difficult to align with LP’s approach to national issues, adding that he will play more effective roles in ensuring peace building.
He stressed that his defection was not based on any personal gains, but his desire to contribute to national development in general and plateau state in particular.
However Deputy Minority Whip, George Ozodinobi did not oppose the defection, saying however that even though there is no crisis in the LP, he would not want to repeat the same thing all over again.
He said “I want to wish all those defecting and those who may wish to do so and believe that the APC is their best destination good luck. We will be waiting to meet them again in 2027 if they will be here. The end will justify the means”.
“I want to wish all those defecting and those who may wish to do so and believe that the APC is their best destination good luck. We will be waiting to meet them again in 2027 if they will be here. The end will justify the means”
Minority Leader, Kingsley China said the letter of defection should not be accepted by the House because it was not ripe because the lawmaker has not fulfilled the constitutional provision to do so.
He said the Plateau lawmaker should first go back to his ward and join the APC before coming back to the House with his letter and then be prepared to face the consequences.
He accused the House of putting the cart before the horse and accepting the letter of defection without the lawmaker complying with the provisions of the Constitution.
However, Yusuf Adamu Gagdi (APC, Plateau) said the sections of the Constitution being cited by the Minority Leader was quite clear to all members, adding that the defecting member has fulfilled all conditions precedent.
He said moreover, section 40 of the Constitution grants permission to anybody to form or join a political party, stressing that out of the eight members of the House of Representatives from Plateau State, seven of them are presently members of the APC.
Mark Esset (PDP, Akwa Ibom) said as lawmakers, members of the parliament must show to the Nigerian people that they are not law breakers by correctly applying the provisions of the Constitution.
But former Deputy Speaker, Ahmed Idris Wase warned against wrong use of words in parliament, adding that what the Speaker did in accepting the defection letter was in order.
Consequently, the leadership of the Labour Party on Thursday confirmed that it had filed legal proceedings against the defected lawmakers to declare their seats vacant and ensure they refund all the salaries and allowances they have received to date.
The National Publicity Secretary of LP, Obiora Ifoh, revealed this in a statement issued in Abuja.
His outrage came a few hours after the member representing Jos South/Jos East Federal Constituency, Plateau State, Ajang Iliya, announced his defection to the ruling All Progressives Congress.
The other five Reps members are Tochukwu Okere (Imo), Donatus Mathew (Kaduna), Bassey Akiba (Cross River), Iyawe Esosa (Edo) and Daulyop Fom (Plateau).
But Ifoh insisted that the defecting lawmakers were birds of a feather that had long perfected their plan to run away with the people’s mandates.
He said, “The law does not protect an individual who steals the mandate of a people and a political party to run into another without first surrendering the mandate he deceitfully acquired.
This defection, like similar ones before it, is quite unfortunate and condemnable.
“It is unnecessary to probe why most of the defectors chose the All Progressives Congress as their destination point and why the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abass, has refused to respect the provisions of the constitution by declaring their seats vacant.
“Meanwhile, 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 privileges received, from the date of defection, be returned.”
Meanwhile, in a related development, the governorship candidate of the Labour Party in the just-concluded election in Bayelsa State, Udengs Eradiri, and his running mate, Commodore Benjamin Nathus (retd.), also announced their resignations from the party on Thursday.
It was gathered that most of the local government chairmen of the party in Bayelsa State also joined Eradiri and Nathus to dump the party.
Eradiri sent his resignation letter to the state chairman of the party in Yenagoa.
In the letter dated December 8 and titled, “Letter of Withdrawal as a Labour Party Member”, Eradiri said he took the decision to enable him pursue his political career on a platform ready and prepared to provide the kind of leadership that Bayelsa State deserved.
Eradiri expressed appreciation to members of the party, who believed in his vision for a better Bayelsa State and gave him the opportunity to be the governorship candidate.
“But unfortunately, we couldn’t scale through the intrigues and challenges implanted in the party leadership,” he said.
A few days back, another lawmaker Dalyop Chollom representing Barkin Ladi/Riyom Federal Constituency dumped the LP for the APC.
He cited the crisis in the party as his reason.
Some weeks back, four members of the House of Representatives dumped the LP for the ruling party, citing squabbles in the Labour Party.
Following their defection, the LP threatened legal action and claimed their action was unconstitutional.
“The last has not been heard of the defection trend, but the PDP and LP, which are at the receiving end of the development have accused the ruling APC of wooing its members, especially lawmakers, with return tickets for the 2027 elections”
The Labour Party made inroads in national politics in the 2023 general election years after its formation.
It got six Senate and 34 House of Representatives seats.
The recent defection of the lawmakers from the Labour Party and the People’s Democratic Party to ruling All Progressives Congress has further depleted the camps of the opposition parties in the country.
Although real politicking ahead of 2027 general elections is yet to take off at full speed, but last Thursday’s defection of five lawmakers in the House of Representatives from the Labour Party and the People’s Democratic Party has further depleted the opposition parties in the country.
The latest development, though not unusual, has created doubt about the seriousness of opposition parties about their ability to mount a serious challenge to wrestle power from the All Progressives Congress.
While it is a known fact that Nigeria’s political ecosystem lacks ideology, however, the menace makes it easy for politicians to change political parties at will without any consequences.
Irked by the development, the PDP has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission to begin the procedure for conducting a new election to fill the Ethiope East/Ethiope West Federal Constituency seat in the House of Representatives.
The PDP in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, on Friday, stated that according to constitutional provisions and the clear interpretation by the Supreme Court, Ibori-Suenu has permanently forfeited her seat, rights, privileges, and recognition.
Ologunagba noted that Ibori-Suenu should cease presenting herself as a member of the House of Representatives, warning that continuing to do so would be considered impersonation with potential legal consequences.
Similarly, the Labour Party (LP) expressed strong opposition to the defection of four of its members in the House.
The spokesperson of LP, Obiora Ifoh, described the move as “inconsistent with democratic norms,” vowing to pursue legal action. He said: “The defection, to us, is quite unfortunate and we condemn the action which is irrational, untenable, inconsistent and alien to all known norms for which democracy stands for.”
Citing Section 68(g) of the 1999 Constitution, which regulates defections, the LP noted that lawmakers can only justify leaving their party in cases of internal division or a merger.
The party also called on the Speaker to declare the defectors’ seats vacant, arguing their continued tenure violated constitutional provisions.
Ifoh added, “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 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 acts of defection without first dropping the mandate obtained under the ticket of the party. The defected lawmakers will feature prominently in the register.”
Defection galore ahead of 2027 polls
Defection in Nigeria’s politics predates the country’s independence. It first crept into the country’s political lexicon in 1951, when some members of the National Council for Nigeria and Cameroon were lobbied to cross over to the Action Group.
The NCNC had won 42 out of the 80 seats in the region’s House of Assembly in the 1951 elections, but in one fell swoop, the party lost 20 of the seats to the AG.
This development prevented the NCNC from forming the government in the then Western Region. The trend continued in the First Republic (1960-1966). Notable defections in that era were that of Chief Ladoke Akintola, who left AG due to personality clashes between him and the leader of the party, Chief Obafemi Awolowo.
A similar disagreement between Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe and one of his lieutenants, Dr. Kingsley Mbadiwe, forced the latter to dump the NCNC to form the Democratic Party of Nigeria Citizens.
The story was the same in the Second Republic (1979-1983). The parties that were worst hit then were the Unity Party of Nigeria, an offshoot of AG and the Peoples Redemption Party.
Some chieftains of the UPN, including Chief Anthony Enahoro, Chief Richard Akinjide, Mazi Sam Ikoku and Chief Akin Omoboriowo, at a time, left the party and joined the then ruling National Party of Nigeria. Omoboriowo, the then deputy to Governor Michael Ajasin (Ondo State) later became the NPN governorship candidate in 1983.
The PRP, on its part, lost Alhaji Abubakar Rimi, who was elected governor of Kano State on the platform of the party in 1979, following his defection to Nigeria Peoples Party. Rimi’s bid for a second term bid in 1983, however failed as the candidate of his former party defeated him.
While defection could be said to have characteristized the country’s political landscape before now, it assumed an alarming rate with the advent of the present dispensation (Fourth Republic) in 1999. Several politicians have criss-crossed more than four or five parties in the last 25 years.
Some did so, abandoning the platforms through which they were elected into office even before their tenure elapsed, while others were quick to jump ship immediately if they or their parties lost elections.
Cases of these defections were in trickles in the early years of the Fourth Republic but rose to a height in 2014 ahead of the 2015 elections.
Among top defectors then were former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, then Governors Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano), Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto), Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa) and Chibuike Amaechi (Rivers), who left the then ruling PDP for the then newly-registered All Progressives Congress, while Rochas Okorocha (Imo) dumped the All Progressives Grand Alliance.
Others that headlined the 2015 defection were former Governors Segun Oni (Ekiti), Olagunsoye Oyinola (Osun), Isiaka Adeleke (Osun), Achike Udenwa (Imo), Saminu Turaki (Jigawa), Adamu Aliero (Kebi) and Attahiru Bafarawa (Sokoto).
Some federal and state legislators were also not left out.
They include Senators Bukola Saraki, Ali Modu Sheriff, Ifeanyi Araraume and Chris Anyanwu as well as the then Speaker, House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal.
Also on the list was a former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and presidential candidate of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria in the 2011 elections, Nuhu Ribadu.
The gale of defection, however, rose to an all-time high after the 2015 polls as most members of the PDP moved in droves to the APC that won the presidential election in their quest to cling to power.
Among PDP chieftains who couldn’t wait to rebuild their party after the shocking defeat of the party included a former governor of old Anambra State, Chief Jim Nwobodo; ex-governor of Oyo State, Adebayo Alao-Akala; a former managing director of Niger Delta Development Commission, Timi Alaibe and a former Senate Majority Leader, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba.
Others were former National Legal Adviser of the PDP and gubernatorial candidate of the party in the 2012 election in Ondo State, Chief Olusola Oke; Senators Heineken Lokpobiri, John Briambaifa and Fidelis Okoro; one time chairman of House of Representatives Committee on Information, Eseme Eyibo; former House of Representatives Minority Leader, Muhammad Kumalia and former PDP governorship aspirant in Kogi State, Jibrin Isah.
The opposition parties further got depleted ahead of the 2019 elections, following the defection of some of their chieftains to the APC although the party lost its notable members like Atiku, Saraki and Tambuwal to the PDP.
Key opposition figures who defected to ruling party at the time include a former President of the Senate, Ken Nnamani; Senators Andy Uba, Uche Ekwunife and Anthony Agbo; Tony Nwoye; former PDP governorship aspirant in Anambra State, Obinna Uzor; a former PDP governorship aspirant in Enugu State, Sam Onyishi; ex -speaker of Enugu State House of Assembly, Eugene Odo and ex-speaker of Ebonyi State Assembly, Blaise Orji.
Others were former governor of Plateau State and then senator representing Plateau Central, Senatorial District, Joshua Dariye; then Deputy Speaker of Plateau State House of Assembly, Yusuf Gagdi; Minority Whip, Daniel Nanlong; Senator Yele Omogunwa (Ondo South); Senator Nelson Effiong (Akwa Ibom South; Senator Smart Adeyemi (former senator for Kogi West) and a former deputy Governor of Oyo State, Taofeek Arapaja..
Also on the seeming endless list were an ex-governor of Akwa Ibom State and then Minority Leader of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, a former governor of Enugu State, Sullivan Chime; ex-presidential adviser and prominent Bakassi leader in Cross River State, Senator Florence Ita-Giwa, Senator John Enoh (Cross River Central).
It was a similar experience after the 2019 elections and during the build-up for the 2023 elections. While David Umahi and Ben Ayade, who won the Ebonyi and Cross River governorships on the platform of the PDP defected to the APC in 2020 and 2021.
A former governor of Anambra State and the vice presidential candidate of the PDP in 2019, Peter Obi, on his part, left the party in 2022 for Labour Party to contest the presidential election.
Others who dumped their respective parties ahead of the 2023 elections included a former National Chairman of APGA, Victor Umeh, who joined LP and then Senate Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe (PDP to APGA); Senator Adamu Aliero (APC to PDP).
The defection game ahead of the 2027 polls is not limited to the lawmakers. Chieftains of the opposition parties are also not left out. Just recently, some chieftains of the New Nigerian Peoples Party defected to the APC in Kano State.
Among the defectors were kinsmen of the national leader of the party, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf. Anyim Pius Anyim, a former President of the Senate, in July, left the PDP for APC.
While the move shocked many, Anyim said he and his supporters joined the ruling party because of the resolve to unite the whole of Ebonyi with the APC political family. He added that the move was informed by the need to support President Bola Tinubu and all his political appointees in the state.
“The people of Ebonyi have resolved to collaborate with the governor and all federal appointees of Ebonyi, particularly the Minister of Works (Umahi) to upscale our support for President Bola Tinubu,” he said.
It was in like manner that the immediate past deputy governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu and a former Edo North senator, Francis Alimikhena, dumped the PDP for APC ahead of the September governorship election in the state.
It is inappropriate and unacceptable for these lawmakers to continue to function as representatives of their constituencies illegally
No doubt, the last has not been heard of the defection trend, but the PDP and LP, which are at the receiving end of the development have accused the ruling APC of wooing its members, especially lawmakers, with return tickets for the 2027 elections.
The APC, according to sources, is employing the defection strategy to weaken the main opposition parties ahead of the next general election.
“There is no hiding the fact that the APC leadership is out to deplete the PDP and LP ranks in the National Assembly and it has been doing this by wooing opposition lawmakers to its fold through promises of return tickets,” a source said.
While more politicians across the various divides are expected to switch camps as the race for the 2027 elections gathers momentum, developments in the days ahead will determine whether those who have jumped ship will remain in their respective new platforms or continue with the back and forth movement.
