The ranks of the crisis-ridden Labour Party has continued to shrink following a spate of defections that have hit the party. Today, on the floor of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ajang Iliya, who is the member representing Jos South/Jos East Federal Constituency, has officially left the Labour Party, to join the All Progressives Congress, APC.
Hon. Ajang Iliya cited leadership crisis rocking the Labour Party as reason for his defection. He becomes the sixth Labour Party House of Representatives member to dump LP for APC in the past one week.
On 5th December, four lawmakers from the Labour Party and one Rep. member from the PDP defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress. The LP lawmakers are Hon. Tochukwu Okere (Imo State), Hon. Donatus Mathew (Kaduna State), Hon. Bassey Akiba (Cross River State) and Hon. Iyawu Esosa (Edo). The PDP decampee was Hon. Erthiatake Ibori-Suenu from Delta State, who is the daughter of former Delta State Governor, James Ibori.
On Tuesday, the Labour Party lost another House of Representatives member as Hon. Daniel Chollom, the member representing Barkin Ladi/ Ripon Federal Constituency in Plateau State, defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
In his letter read at plenary by the Speaker, Abbas Tajudeen, Hon. Chollom stayed that his decision to leave the Labour Party was due to the internal crisis within the party, which according to him has impeded his capacity to provide effective representation in his Constituency.
The Labour Party crisis appear to be heading for a stalemate following the victory of embattled National Chairman of the Party, Barr. Julius Abure at the court where he was recognised as the legitimate National Chairman of the Party. This upended the earlier move by the party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 presidential election, Mr. Peter Obi and Governor Alex Otti to constitute a National Caretaker Committee led by Mrs. Nenadi Usman.