As plenary resumed at the House of Representatives on Thursday, four Labour Party (LP) lawmakers announced their defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The defectors include Esosa Iyawe (Edo), Tochukwu Okere (Imo), Donatus Matthew (Kaduna), and Bassey Akiba (Cross River).
Additionally, Erhiatake Ibori-Suenu (Delta) also left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the APC.
The former LP members cited internal divisions within their party as the primary reason for their defection.
The Labour Party had made significant political gains in the 2023 elections, securing six Senate seats and over 34 House of Representatives seats—marking a notable breakthrough after over 20 years as a pro-labour organization.
This was a significant improvement from the 2019 National Assembly elections, where the party failed to win any seats.
Despite its presidential candidate Peter Obi finishing third in the 2023 election, many anticipated that the Labour Party would join the PDP to form a robust opposition against the ruling APC.
However, internal conflicts following the general elections have weakened the party’s cohesion.