A prominent member of the House of Representatives representing Okpe/Sapele/Uvwie Federal Constituency in Delta State, Benedict Etanabene, has shed light on why some of his colleagues from the Labour Party are defecting to the All Progressives Congress.
Etanabene revealed that the recent outcomes of the governorship elections in Edo and Ondo states, where APC candidates emerged victorious, have led to fear among some lawmakers.
According to him, these lawmakers are concerned about the political implications of the election results and are positioning themselves in anticipation of future political trends.
The lawmaker emphasized that there is no leadership crisis within the LP to justify the defections.
He pointed out that the majority of those who recently left the party still support the leadership of Julius Abure, the National Chairman of the LP.
Etanabene also suggested that the defections were not limited to the LP, warning that similar trends could emerge across other opposition parties.
He noted that the results in Edo and Ondo had sparked fears that the APC would maintain a strong grip on power, especially in the 2027 elections, which he predicted would follow a “business as usual” pattern for the ruling party.
The lawmaker also lamented the state of Nigeria’s electoral system, claiming that votes no longer count and calling for urgent reforms to change the current political dynamics.
Recall that on Thursday, four members of the LP caucus in the House of Representatives defected to the APC. The defectors include Chinedu Okere, Mathew Donatus, Akiba Bassey, and Esosa Iyawe. Speaker Abbas Tajudeen officially announced the defection on the floor of the House.
In response, the Labour Party has vowed to declare the seats of the defecting lawmakers vacant in accordance with the law.
“There is no leadership crisis in the Labour Party,” he said on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
“If it is about those issues, I can tell you that the larger number of those who just left are people that believe in the leadership of Julius Abure.
“It is not only the Labour Party. I am expecting the trend from other opposition parties. What happened in Edo and Ondo is frightening to the extent that in 2027, it is going to be business as usual for APC. They have started thinking of positioning themselves,” he said.
