Newsbreak: Four Peter Obi lawmakers defect to APC
By Ologeh Joseph Chibu
Four House of Representatives lawmakers on the platform of the Labour Party, [LP] have defected to the ruling All Porgressives Congress, [APC].
The development was said to have embarrassed LP Presidential candidate Mr Peter Obi whose charm was responsible for the emergence of the lawmakers in the first place.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Tajudeen Abbas, who broke the news said the ruling party was excited to welcome the lawmakers.
He made the announcement on the floor of the House of Represe ntatives on Thursday to equally excited APC members.
Sources told Irohinoodua that more members of the LP are expected to decamp to the ruling party.
The lawmakers that decamped are Chinedu Okere (Owerri municipal/Owerri north/Owerri west federal constituency), Mathew Donatus (Kaura federal constituency of Kaduna), Akiba Bassey (Calabar municipal/Odukpani federal constituency of Cross River), and Esosa Iyawe (Oredo federal constituency of Edo).
The lawmakers said thay left the LP because of the lingering crisis in the party.
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Abbas said APC was glad to welcome the legislators.
He said the lawmakers had “taken the right decision”.
Another lawmaker from Delta State, Erhriatake Ibori-Suenu, who represents Ethiope Federal Constituency also defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC.
She, Ibori-Suenu is the daughter of former Governor of Delta State, Mr James Ibori.
Her defection is seen as an indication that her father may also be on his way to the APC.
Some lawmakers were not happy with the development.
Both Ali Isa, minority whip, and George Ozodinobi, deputy minority whip, protested the defections.
Ozodinobi, an LP chieftain, accused the lawmakers of lacking ideology.
He said “When people enter a political party without ideology, you see such level of defection,” he said.
Ozodinobi said the APC has “brought hunger to Nigerians” and lawmakers should not be joining the party.
The ruling APC is extending its tentacle in the green chamber.
In July, Ezenwa Onyewuchi, senator representing Imo east, defected from LP to the APC.
In October, Chris Nkwonta and Sulaiman Abubakar left the PDP for APC.
