You will cry for leaving – Labour Party tells Okere, Akiba Bassey, others

The Deputy Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, George Ibezimako Ozodinobi (LP, Anambra), has expressed strong disapproval of his colleagues who defected from the Labour Party (LP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Four LP 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)—officially announced their defection during Thursday’s plenary session.

The Speaker of the House, Abbas Tajudeen, read their letter of defection, in which the lawmakers attributed their departure to internal disputes within the Labour Party. The LP gained prominence last year after garnering approximately six million votes in the presidential election.

Reacting on the House floor, Ozodinobi raised a point of order, condemning his colleagues’ decision. He likened their situation to a biblical story:
“I will quote the Bible. When Jesus was carrying the cross to Calvary, the woman, Veronica, was weeping. And He looked back and said, ‘Women of Israel, 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,” Ozodinobi remarked.

In response to the defections, the Labour Party described the move as disappointing. Obiora Ifoh, the party’s spokesman, condemned the action, labeling it irrational, untenable, and contrary to the principles of democracy.

“Though the Labour Party leadership remains undaunted by the defections, we will not let this go unchecked. Our legal team has been instructed to take action against the defectors and to initiate the process of reclaiming our mandates, in accordance with the 1999 Constitution and the 2022 Electoral Act as amended,” Ifoh stated in a press release.