‘You’ll weep, no future for you there’: LP lawmaker lambasts colleagues who dumped party for APC

• He also stated that the defectors have made a terrible decision as they have no future in the APC.

The Labour Party caucus at the House of Representatives has voiced its disgust at the decision of some lawmakers to dump the party.

Within Nigeria had reported that four members of the LP – 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, Edo) left the party on Thursday.

The defectors attributed their decision to internal wrangling in the Labour Party.

Reacting to the development, the Deputy Minority Leader of the house, George Ibezimako Ozodinobi (LP, Anambra), slammed his colleagues for quitting the party for the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.

After the speaker, Tajudeen Abbas, read the letter of defection, Ozodinobi raised a point of order on the floor of the Green Chamber, expressing disappointment with his colleagues who had just left the LP.

He also stated that the defectors have made a terrible decision as they have no future in the APC.

“I will quote the Bible. When Jesus was carrying the cross to the Calvary, the woman, Veronica, was weeping. And he looked back and said, women of Israel, don’t weep for me, weep for yourself.

“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 lawmaker said.

Following their defection, the Labour Party described their move as disappointing.

The spokesman of the party, Obiora Ifoh said their defection was quite unfortunate, condemning the action, which he said was irrational, untenable, inconsistent and alien to all known norms for which democracy stands for.

“Though the Labour Party leadership is undaunted by the defection, it has however, elected not to allow it slide and has therefore instructed its legal team to commence the legal actions against the defectors and to also commence the process of regaining our mandates in line with the 1999 constitution and 2022 Electoral Act as amended,” the LP spokesman said in a statement.