December 7, 2024
By Idris Buba
The member representing Okpe/Sapele/Uvwie Federal Constituency in Delta State, Hon. Benedict Etanabene, has asked the four lawmakers who recently dumped the Labour Party for the All Progressives Congress, APC, to do the honourable thing and vacate their seats as stipulated by the law.
Recently, four members of the labour party, LP caucus in the house of representative, namely Chinedu Okere (Owerri municipal/owerri north/Owerri west constituency), Mathew Donatus (Kaura federal constituency of Kaduna), Akiba Bassey (Calabar municipal/Odukpani constituency), and Esosa Iyawe (Oredo federal constituency of Edo). defected to the ruling All Progressives party , APC.
Speaker Abbas Tajudeen announced the defection on the floor of the House at plenary on Thursday.
Reacting to the development while speaking on a Channels Television’s Politics Today, Etanabene said “You were voted into office by this party and you’re now there, you now see the need to jump to another party.
“That matter does not need any explanation. They should have just packed their loads and left the assembly. That is the truth.
“That is the provision of the law. Why this was drafted into the law is to avoid situations like this. But I tell you, it happens every now and then and it is allowed in this country.
READ MORE; Defections Rock House of Reps, 1 PDP, 4 LP Lawmakers Defect To APC
“If not, it is clear. If there’s no division in the party at the national level, you cannot go to another party jettisoning the party that elected you into office. It is clear. Division of the party must be established by court; it is not in the wings and caprices of anybody to postulate or assume a division.
“The court in Nigeria today, even when there were skirmishes of that a few months back, had said that the Julius Abure-led NWC is the authentic leadership of the party. Is there any order of the court contrary to that? I’m not aware.
“So, I don’t believe that what they did is right in the face of law. In a sane society where discipline runs, once that announcement was made yesterday, by today nobody should be sitting on their seats.
“I don’t think this leadership of the house will declare their seats vacant. It’s the trend that has been in place but we must continue to challenge that action in the eyes of the law.”
The house of representative member, insisted that because of disregard for rule of law, lawmakers have continued to cross carpet without consequence.
