As the plenary session resumed at the House of Representatives on Thursday, five members of the Labour Party (LP) switched their allegiance to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The defectors include Esosa Iyawe from Edo, Tochukwu Okere from Imo, Donatus Matthew from Kaduna, Bassey Akiba from Cross River, and Daulyop Fom from Plateau. Additionally, Erhiatake Ibori-Suenu from Delta, the daughter of former Delta Governor James Ibori, also left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the APC.
The lawmakers who left LP cited internal divisions within the party as their main motivation for defecting.
After more than 20 years since its establishment, the Labour Party gained traction in mainstream politics during the 2023 elections,
winning six Senate seats and over 34 seats in the House of Representatives. In contrast, LP had no representation in the 2019 National Assembly elections. Following the presidential election, where LP candidate Peter Obi secured third place, many expected the Labour Party to become a strong opposition alongside the PDP against the ruling APC.
However, the party has since been troubled by internal disputes following the general elections.
