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Hon. Benedict Etanabene, representing Okpe/Sapele/Uvwie Federal Constituency in Delta State, has called on four lawmakers who recently defected from the Labour Party (LP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) to vacate their seats in the National Assembly.
Etanabene argued that the law on party defection is clear, stressing that the lawmakers should not need any persuasion to relinquish their seats.
Naija News reports that Etanabene’s remarks follow the defection of four LP lawmakers, 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).
Their defection was formally announced by Speaker Abbas Tajudeen on the floor of the House of Representatives on Thursday.
Reacting to the development on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Etanabene stated, “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.”
Etanabene explained that, according to Nigeria’s legal framework, a lawmaker can only switch parties without losing their seat if there is a division within their original party at the national level.
He emphasised that the Labour Party is currently under the leadership of Julius Abure, a status which has been affirmed by the court.
“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 National Working Committee (NWC) is the authentic leadership of the party. Is there any order of the court contrary to that? I’m not aware,” he said.
The Labour Party has since declared its intention to push for the seats of the defectors to be declared vacant, as allowed by Nigeria’s electoral laws.
However, Etanabene expressed doubt that the leadership of the House of Representatives would take such action, noting that past precedents suggest otherwise.
“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,” he stated.
