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BREAKING: At last, Enugu LP lawmakers defect to PDP, meet Mbah
After weeks of speculations, six members of the Enugu State House of Assembly elected on the platform of the Labour Party (LP) finally announced their defection to the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the State, on Thursday, in what indicates a likely bandwagon, as a result of the crisis rocking one Nigeria’s main opposition parties.
The LP, which emerged third in reckoning after the 2023 general elections, has been embroiled in internecine crisis, with the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), its parent body, insisting on the ouster of Julius Abure, as the National Chairman.
Incidentally, Abure, was re-elected at the party convention called to choose new leaders expected to take to the next stage after putting up a stellar performance during the last election, a development, which itself, had also sunk into controversy, as both the NLC and the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT), dismissed it as a sham and insisted on taking over its leadership.
Apparently, seizing the moment, the Enugu lawmakers who have been speculated were eager to shift loyalty, cited the “existence of irreconcilable division, incessant crisis within the Labour Party at the national level and across all the state chapters,” as their reason.
The Nigerian constitution forbids defection from one party to another by elected political office holders, except in cases of division in their original parties, or in the case of the merger of the previous parties, a loophole, the Enugu lawmakers, have now exploited to make good their long-expected switch.
While presenting themselves to Peter Mbah, the Governor of the state, they added: “Regrettably, the party has evolved into state of perpetual discord with various factions embroiled in legal battles, thereby undermining its ability to effectively serve the interest of the people.
“The Labour Party once a beacon of hope for progressive ideas have regrettably become synonymous with internal squabbles, thereby reducing its capacity to fulfil the aspirations of electorate.”
Citing the national leadership tussle between the factions of Julius Abure and Lamidi Apapa as well as the national treasurer as some of the crises within the opposition party, they expressed hope that the PDP would give them the platform to continue to serve the interests of their people and thanked the leadership of the Labour Party for their support.
The defectors include the Chief Whip of the House and member representing Igboeze North I, Ejike Eze; the leader of the House and member representing Enugu North, Johnson Ugwu; the member representing Enugu South Urban, Princess Ugwu; member representing Nsukka West, Pius Ezeugwu; member representing Igbo-Etiti East, Amuka Williams, and member representing Oji River, Osita Eze.
After move through a motion for their defection was moved by Iloabuchi Aniagu and was seconded by Jane Eneh, Harrison Ogara, spokesman of the Assembly, also elected on the platform of the party, said though the lawmakers enjoyed freedom of association, they should know that there is a section of the Constitution that states that any member of a political party that defects to another political party without fulfilling the constitutional provisions for defection will automatically lose his or her seat.
Ogara insisted that there was no crisis at ward, local government, and state levels of the party in Enugu State as well as the national level of the party that would have warranted them to defect to another political party.
Hours after Mohammed Hayatu-Deen did, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, on Tuesday, also flatly rejected the outcome of the presidential primaries, of the African Democratic Congress, alleging widespread voter disenfranchisement and electoral malpractice.
Amaechi former Minister of Transportation and former Governor of Rivers State, described the announced results as “concocted,” insisting that the process failed to meet the standards of transparency and fairness earlier promised by the party.
He said in a statement: “I unequivocally reject the concocted results being announced,” Amaechi stated.
He said he had previously maintained that he would only accept the outcome of the primaries if the process was free, fair and transparent, stressing that the exercise did not reflect the democratic values the ADC claimed to represent.
“I will not accept results from a process that does not reflect the values that the ADC had pledged to uphold, to rescue Nigerians from the impunity and gross mismanagement that our country is currently facing in the hands of the ruling party,” he said.
Amaechi alleged that a significant number of party members were denied the opportunity to vote during the exercise.
“There’s no way that about eighty percent of members of the party were not allowed to vote, and you expect me to accept such results,” he stated.
The former Rivers State governor questioned the moral basis of the ADC criticising the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over alleged electoral malpractice while allegedly engaging in similar conduct internally.
“A party that criticizes the ruling APC and INEC for vote buying, rigging and writing of results, cannot be engaged in vote buying, writing of results, and other electoral malpractices that leads to the disenfranchisement of voters who are party members. This is not acceptable!” he declared.
Amaechi said the ADC was envisioned as a platform to amplify the voices of ordinary Nigerians and provide credible political alternatives irrespective of ethnicity, religion or social background.
His rejection of the outcome is expected to deepen tensions within the opposition party following the conclusion of its presidential primary election.
“These timeless virtues of devotion, selflessness, and submission to divine will are values our nation desperately needs today,” were the exact words with which Godswill Akpabio, attempted to rouse Nigerians to the ethos of unquestionable faith and service to the country.
Akpabio, Chairman of the National Assembly, who drew example from Prophet Ibrahim, admonished Nigerians to emulate his unwavering faith, obedience, and willingness to sacrifice for the sake of Almighty Allah.
The Senate President, who conveyed his sentiments via a statement by Eseme Eyiboh, also used the specifically hail President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, his vice, Kashim Shettima and Muslim faithful in Nigeria and around the world as they celebrate Eid El Kabir.
Stressing that the occasion called for prayer and sober reflection on the theme of sacrifice, he added: “This sacred occasion reminds us of Prophet Ibrahim’s unwavering faith, obedience, and willingness to sacrifice for the sake of Almighty Allah.
“To our dear President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, his vice, Senator Kashim Shettima and Muslim brothers and sisters, I felicitate with them on behalf of my family, constituents and the Senate on this blessed Eid. May the lessons of sacrifice, compassion, and generosity that define this season strengthen your faith and bring peace to your homes.
“As you share with the less privileged and extend love to neighbours of all faiths, you embody the true spirit of Nigeria. To all Nigerians, I urge us to use this solemn period to pray fervently for peace, security, and prosperity in our land. Let us pray for our troops in the frontlines, for farmers to return safely to their fields, and for unity to prevail over division in our Nation.
“Eid El Kabir also calls us to deep reflection on the future of our country. Just as Prophet Ibrahim was tested, Nigeria is in a season of testing. The sacrifices we make today in patience, in tolerance and in choosing hope over despair will determine the Nigeria our children inherit.
“The Renewed Hope Agenda of this administration, supported by the National Assembly, is anchored on that same principle: that meaningful progress often requires collective sacrifice.
“May Almighty Allah accept your prayers and sacrifices. May He heal our land, guide our leaders, and bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Barka da Sallah. Eid Mubarak.”
“I will not be attending the announcement of the ADC Presidential Election Results today. I am concerned by reports from across the country of widespread vote rigging, some of which I myself observed, and will therefore be taking advice on my next steps.”
These were the exact words of Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, one of the presidential aspirants of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), with which he cast a slur on the ongoing presidential primaries of the party, hinging his position on reports of fraud trailing the exercise.
Hayatu-Deen, a second timer in the search for the nation’s number one job, ran against Atiku Abubakar, Nigeria’s former Vice President and Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, former Minister of Transportation.
In a statement on his assessment of the exercise which began on Monday, the renowned economist Chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), used his X platform to convey his dissatisfaction with the process.
The ADC which said the collation for the exercise would take place in Abuja had urged aspirants, party leaders, delegates, and members to conduct themselves peacefully and uphold party unity.
Bolaji Abdullahi, its spokesman, who described the exercise as a defining moment for both the ADC and Nigerians seeking a credible political alternative, maintained that it remained committed to internal democracy and a transparent leadership selection process.
“The ADC remains proud to stand today as the only truly democratic party in Nigeria because it is the only political party whose choice of presidential candidate is determined through open primaries,” he said adding that the conduct of aspirants and party members during the exercise would reflect the leadership culture the ADC seeks to promote.
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