Turbulence Hits Labour Party Again—Reps Member Abandons Ship for APC

Sunday Umehia, a member of the House of Representatives representing the Ezeagu/Udi federal constituency in Enugu State under the Labour Party (LP), has officially defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Umehia attributed his defection to the ongoing leadership crisis within the Labour Party, where three factions led by Senator Nenadi Usman, Julius Abure, and Lamidi Apapa each claim authority, creating confusion among party members.

In a defection letter presented at the plenary session by Speaker Abbas Tajudeen, Umehia explained that his decision to join the APC is motivated by a desire to work closely with the President and APC leadership to ensure effective governance, especially for the South East region.

Minority Leader Kingsley Chinda criticized the wave of defections by legislators, arguing that such moves undermine Nigeria’s democratic integrity and cause instability within the parliamentary system. He called for a review and amendment of constitutional provisions on defections to safeguard democratic values and urged the Speaker to exercise his constitutional power to declare vacant the seats of defectors.

Chinda also referenced a Supreme Court ruling that resolved the Labour Party’s leadership dispute, suggesting that defection is no longer a viable option for circumventing internal party issues. He emphasized that, according to the House’s standing order, leadership roles on committees are based on party affiliation and should be relinquished by those who defect to allow their parties to appoint replacements.

This development follows recent defections in Cross River State, where key figures from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP), including PDP’s 2023 deputy governorship candidate Lady Emana Duke Ambrose, former LP senatorial candidate and three-term House member Daniel Asuquo, and PRP state chairman Professor Edde Iji, along with their supporters, joined the ruling APC.