The Deputy Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, George Ibezimako Ozodinobi (LP, Anambra), has lambasted four of his colleagues for defecting to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The lawmakers—Chinedu Okere (Owerri Municipal/Owerri North/Owerri West Constituency), Mathew Donatus (Kaura Federal Constituency, Kaduna), Akiba Bassey (Calabar Municipal/Odukpani Constituency), and Esosa Iyawe (Oredo Federal Constituency, Edo)—announced their departure from the Labour Party (LP) during Thursday’s plenary.
Speaker Abbas Tajudeen read their defection letter, which cited internal party disputes as the reason for their move. The LP had gained significant traction in last year’s presidential election, garnering about six million votes.
Reacting to the defections, Ozodinobi expressed disappointment. Drawing a biblical reference, he declared, “When Jesus was carrying the cross to Calvary, the women of Israel wept. He told them, ‘Don’t weep for me; weep for yourselves.’ I am telling those who have defected that they will continue weeping for themselves because where you have crossed over to, you don’t have a future.”
The Labour Party also condemned the defections, labeling them irrational and inconsistent with democratic values. Party spokesman Obiora Ifoh announced plans to take legal action against the defectors, citing provisions of the 1999 Constitution and the 2022 Electoral Act.
Despite the setback, the party vowed to reclaim the lost mandates and maintain its resolve to uphold democratic norms.
