Pegasus Reporters Issues on the Wing
“As of December 12, 2024, the number of the party’s members in the House has dwindled from 35 to 17, meaning that the party has lost 18 seats in one and a half years. In the Senate, Senator Francis Onyewuchi, who represented Imo East on the LP platform, also dumped the party to join the APC”
*APC Chairman Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje
PEGASUS REPORTERS, LAGOS | DECEMBER 16, 2024
As politicking for the 2027 general elections accelerates, the rank and file of opposition political parties, especially the Labour Party (LP) are being decimated according to a Vanguard report.
The LP is currently the worst hit with elected party members in the House of Representatives ditching the platform at an unprecedented rate.
According to analysts, the defections, which have been ongoing since the commencement of the 10th National Assembly in 2023, are already having significant political consequences, especially for the party’s influence and standing in both chambers of the National Assembly (NASS).
At the start of the 10th NASS, LP had a relatively modest presence in the House of Representatives.
According to the official results of the 2023 general elections, the party secured 35 seats in the House, a substantial increase from previous elections, largely due to the popularity of its presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, and the party’s focus on youth and reform.
This number of seats represented a breakthrough for the party, positioning it as a notable force in the House.
However, LP has witnessed a series of defections of its members to other political parties, particularly the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the main opposition PDP.
Lawmakers, who dumped the LP in the latest episode, include Tochukwu Okere (Imo), Donatus Mathew (Kaduna), Bassey Akiba (Cross River), Iyawe Esosa (Edo) and Daulyop Fom (Plateau).
*Peter Gregory Obi of Party the Labour Party
The lawmakers, in their letter to the Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, highlighted internal instability within the party as the reason for their action. This move has significantly reduced the LP’s numerical strength in the Green Chamber.
As of December 12, 2024, the number of the party’s members in the House has dwindled from 35 to 17, meaning that the party has lost 18 seats in one and a half years. In the Senate, Senator Francis Onyewuchi, who represented Imo East on the LP platform, also dumped the party to join the APC.
Some allege his movement was orchestrated by Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State, a leader of APC. The crisis of confidence between key leaders of the LP at the national level and alleged infiltration by agents of the ruling APC undoubtedly played a key role in what is playing out on the floor.
In an attempt to refocus the party, the National Leader of the party, Obi, and the party’s only elected governor, Mr Alex Otti, of Abia State, along with some key stakeholders of the party had attempted to restructure it.
To do this, they held a meeting and appointed a 22-member caretaker committee headed by Sen. Nenadi Usman. This move was opposed by the National Chairman, Julius Abure, who went to court to validate his position. Usman and her team are still in court challenging the court decision.
Culled from the Vanguard report
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