Six Enugu Assembly members dump LP for PDP

Six members of the Enugu State House of Assembly elected on the platform of the Labour Party (LP) have defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) one year after they were sworn into office.

The defectors include the House Majority Leader, Johnson Ani, who represents the Enugu North state constituency and the Chief Whip, Ejike Eze, the legislator representing Igbo-Eze North 1.

Others are the Deputy Chief Whip, Princess Ugwu from Enugu South Rural, Pius Ezugwu, Nsukka East, Williams Amuka, Igbo-Etiti West, and Osita Eze representing Oji River constituency in the Assembly.

The defection of the lawmakers was announced in a letter read by the Speaker, Uche Ugwu, during plenary on Thursday.

In the letter, the lawmakers said their defection was due to division and the incessant crisis in the Labour Party at the national and state levels.

They expressed regrets that the party had “evolved into perpetual discord with various factions embroiled in legal battles, which undermine its ability to effectively serve the interest of the people.”

READ ALSO: Tribunal sacks LP’s Rep in Enugu constituency

They explained that the LP which was once the beautiful bride of Nigerians has regrettably become synonymous with internal squabbles, thereby reducing its capacity to fulfil the aspirations of electorates.”

The defectors cited the cases of the party’s National Chairman, Julius Abure and factional chairman, Limido Apapa, as well as the National Treasurer who is enmeshed in a corruption scandal as some of the divisions within the party.

They, however, expressed the hope that the PDP would give them the platform to continue to serve the interests of their people and thanked the leadership of the Labour Party for their support.

While welcoming the defectors to the PDP, the speaker promised that they would be carried along in the legislative activities of the House.

With the defection, the PDP now has the majority in the House with 17 members while the LP has six.

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