The Labour Party’s House of Representatives caucus lost four members to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC on Thursday.
Tochukwu Okere (Imo), Donatus Mathew (Kaduna), Bassey Akiba (Cross River), and Iyawe Esosa (Edo) are among the lawmakers who defected from the LP to APC.
Similarly, Erthiatake Ibori-Suenu, the daughter of former Delta State Governor Mr James Ibori, severed her association with the Peoples Democratic Party and joined the APC.
Matthew, who represents Kaura Federal Constituency in Kaduna State, confirmed the incident, saying the choice to defect to the APC was founded on conviction.
When asked if his constituency supports his defection, Matthew, a commercial motorbike rider who won the 2023 parliamentary election, stated that “you cannot just work on the decisions of the people at the constituency level because you are dealing with people with different levels of understanding.”
This choice is founded on conviction. That is why, whether you like it or not, there are members of the constituency who believe that it (defection) is the best decision for them. “There are those who are sceptical while waiting for the outcome,” he stated.
The Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas, read their letter of defection to the APC on the Green Chamber floor on Thursday.
