The Deputy Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, George Ibezimako Ozodinobi has criticized his colleagues who recently defected from the Labour Party (LP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
New Telegraph had earlier reported that during Thursday’s plenary, four Labour Party lawmakers Chinedu Okere of Owerri Municipal/Owerri North/Owerri West Constituency, Imo, Mathew Donatus of Kaura Federal Constituency, Kaduna, Akiba Bassey of Calabar Municipal/Odukpani Constituency, Cross River, and Esosa Iyawe of Oredo Federal Constituency, Edo—announced their defection, citing internal disputes within the Labour Party.
Their defection letters were read on the floor of the House by the Speaker, Abbas Tajudeen, expressing disappointment, Ozodinobi compared the defections to Biblical trials.
“I will quote the Bible. When Jesus was carrying the cross to Calvary, the woman, Veronica, was weeping. And he looked back and said, women of Israel, don’t weep for me, weep for yourself.”
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“I am telling those who have defected that they will continue weeping for themselves because where you have crossed over to, you don’t have a future,” the lawmaker added.
The Labour Party also condemned the defections as “irrational” and vowed to take legal action.
Obiora Ifoh, the party’s spokesperson, described the move as disappointing and inconsistent with democratic principles.
“The Labour Party leadership is undaunted by the defection, but we will not allow it to slide.
“Our legal team has been instructed to commence actions to reclaim our mandates in line with the 1999 Constitution and the 2022 Electoral Act as amended,” Ifoh declared.
The defections come as a setback for the Labour Party, which garnered nearly six million votes in the 2023 presidential election, positioning itself as a significant political force.
Despite these challenges, the party remains committed to upholding its values and reclaiming its mandates through lawful means.
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