THE Labour Party caucus in the House of Representatives has lost four of its members to the ruling All Progressives Congress on Thursday.
The lawmakers Who left LP for APC are Tochukwu Okere (Imo), Donatus Mathew (Kaduna), Bassey Akiba (Cross River), and Iyawe Esosa (Edo).
Similarly, the daughter of former Delta State Governor, Mr James Ibori, Erthiatake Ibori-Suenu, also ended her relationship with the Peoples Democratic Party as she joined the APC.
Confirming the development, Matthew, who represents Kaura Federal Constituency of Kaduna State, said the decision to defect to the APC is based on conviction.
Asked if his imminent defection has the backing of his Constituency, Matthew who made history when he won the parliamentary election in 2023 as a commercial motorcycle rider said, “You cannot just work on the decision of the people at the constituency level because you are dealing with people with different levels of understanding.
“I am taking this decision based on conviction. That is why whether you like it or not, there are people within the constituency who are convinced that it (defection) is the right decision for them. There are those who are skeptical waiting for the outcome,” he said.
Their letter of defection to the APC was read on the floor of the Green Chamber by the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas on Thursday.
The now-former Labour Party lawmakers cited division within their party as the main reason for their defection.
After over 20 years of its formation, pro-workers political organisation, Labour Party (LP) made inroads into mainstream politics during the 2023 elections as the party got six Senate and over 34 House of Representatives seats.
Compared to its phenomenal stride in the 2023 elections, the LP did not get a single seat in the 2019 National Assembly elections.
With the party’s presidential candidate Peter Obi coming third during the poll, many had thought that the Labour Party would form a formidable opposition alongside the PDP against the ruling APC but intra-party squabbles after the general elections have plagued the party.
