The Labour Party has pledged to take legal action against four of its members in the House of Representatives who recently defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The defecting lawmakers are Chinedu Okere, Mathew Donatus, Akiba Bassey, and Esosa Iyawe.
Their defection was announced on Thursday by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas.
Abbas attributed the defections to “internal crisis” within the Labour Party.
However, the party’s spokesperson, Obiora Ifoh, argued that no one has the right to defect while holding the party’s mandate.
In a statement, Ifoh said: “While the Labour Party leadership remains resolute despite the defections, it has decided not to overlook the matter.
The party has instructed its legal team to initiate legal proceedings against the defectors and to begin the process of reclaiming our mandates in accordance with the 1999 Constitution and the amended 2022 Electoral Act.”
“The Labour Party is completely at peace, and as such, no one elected under its banner has the constitutional right to defect while holding the party’s mandate.”
