Four House of Representatives members who were elected under the platform of the Labour Party (LP) have defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC), during plenary session on Thursday.
They are Esosa Iyawe (Edo), Tochukwu Okere (Imo), Donatus Matthew (Kaduna) and Bassey Akiba (Cross River).
Also, a lawmaker, Erhiatake Ibori-Suenu (Delta), dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the APC.
The now former Labour Party lawmakers cited division within their party as the main reason for their defection.
Confirming the development, Matthew, who represents Kaura Federal Constituency of Kaduna State, said the decision to defect to the APC is based on conviction.
Matthew who made history when he won the parliamentary election in 2023 as a commercial motorcycle rider said, “You cannot just work on the decision of the people at the constituency level because you are dealing with people with different levels of understanding.
“I am taking this decision based on conviction. That is why whether you like it or not, there are people within the constituency who are convinced that it (defection) is the right decision for them. There are those who are skeptical waiting for the outcome,” he said.
Their letter of defection to the APC was read on the floor of the Green Chamber by the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas on Thursday.
