Politics
Legal battle looms as Labour Party sues defecting lawmakers, NASS leadership
The Labour Party (LP), on Thursday, vowed to take legal action against six members of the House of Representatives who recently defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The party maintains that these legislators have unjustly betrayed their constituents and the platform that secured their election, and should therefore lose their seats as mandated by the Constitution.
In a scathing response to the defection of Hon. Akangbe Illiya, the representative for Jos South/Jos East Federal Constituency, LP’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, condemned the action and reaffirmed the party’s stance.
“Hon. Illiya, who has now engraved his name in the Labour Party’s ‘Hall of Shame,’ has brought dishonor upon himself with this act,” Ifoh stated.
Ifoh emphasized that while the Constitution guarantees freedom of association, this right is qualified concerning political party membership. He cited Section 68(g) of the 1999 Constitution, which highlights the clear provisions regarding defection and the consequences for lawmakers who abandon their sponsoring party.
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The Labour Party has filed a lawsuit seeking to compel the National Assembly leadership to declare the defectors’ seats vacant. The suit also demands the return of all salaries, emoluments, and privileges received by the lawmakers since their defection.
Ifoh criticized the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Tajudeen Abass, for not declaring the defectors’ seats vacant in line with constitutional provisions. “These defections are unfortunate and condemnable. Politicians who abandon their constituents during critical times expose themselves as untrustworthy and undeserving of future public confidence,” Ifoh added.
The Labour Party’s decision to pursue legal action is a testament to its commitment to holding public officeholders accountable to the mandates they were elected to serve and protecting the integrity of Nigeria’s political system.
In a similar development, the Labour Party has approached the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, seeking a declaration that the 27 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, who recently defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC, vacate their seats.
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