The Labour Party caucus in the House of Representatives has lost four of its members to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as of Thursday. The lawmakers who defected from the Labour Party (LP) to the APC include Tochukwu Okere from Imo, Donatus Mathew from Kaduna, Bassey Akiba from Cross River, and Iyawe Esosa from Edo.
Additionally, Erthiatake Ibori-Suenu, the daughter of former Delta State Governor James Ibori, has also left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to join the APC.
Confirming this development, Donatus Mathew, who represents the Kaura Federal Constituency in Kaduna State, stated that his decision to join the APC is based on personal conviction. When asked whether his defection has the support of his constituency, Mathew, who made history by winning a parliamentary election in 2023 as a commercial motorcycle rider, said, “You cannot solely rely on the opinions of the people at the constituency level because the constituents have varying levels of understanding.”
He added, “I am making this decision based on conviction. Regardless of how others feel, there are people within the constituency who believe that this defection is the right choice for them. There are also those who are skeptical and are waiting to see the outcome.”
The letter of defection to the APC was read on the floor of the Green Chamber by the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas, on Thursday.
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