Breaking: Influential Labour Party Senator, Onyewuchi, Defects to APC, Gives Reason
- Labour Party Senator Ezenwo Onyewuchi has announced his defection to the ruling APC in Imo state
- Senate President Godswill Akpabio confirmed Onyewuchi's defection to the APC in a letter read on the floor of the Senate on Tuesday
- Senator Onyewuchi was a member of the PDP but officially defected to the Labour Party in 2022
Legit.ng journalist Esther Odili has over two years of experience covering political parties and movements.
Ezenwa Onyewuchi, the senator representing Imo East in the National Assembly and a member of the Labour Party (LP), has defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
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Source: Facebook
Onyewuchi’s defection letter was read on the floor of the red chamber by Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Tuesday, July 23.
As reported by The Cable, Hope Uzodimma, the governor of Imo and chair of the Progressives Governors Forum (PGF), was in the chamber when the letter was read.
Why Onyewuchi dumped Labour Party
Recall that in 2022, Onyewuchi dumped the PDP and joined the Labour Party. He was the first Labour Party senator in the 9th Senate.
But on Tuesday, the Imo senator based his communication on Section 68(1g) of the constitution.
“This decision is due to the intractable division and crisis in the Labour Party that sponsored the earlier election into the Nigerian Senate,” his letter reads.
“The communication is therefore made pursuant to Section 68(1g) of the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended.
“Imo state and the entirety of the south-east remain united under the leadership of our performing governor, his excellency, Hope Uzodimma.”
Akpabio directed the sergeant-at-arms to hand Onyewuchi a new seat on the aisle of the majority lawmakers.
Number of LP senators reduces
Interestingly, Bashir Ahmad, a former presidential aide, confirmed the development in a post shared on his X page.
He tweeted:
"Senator Ezenwa Francis Onyewuchi of the Labour Party, representing Imo East Senatorial District, has officially defected to our party, the APC and declared his support for President Tinubu."
The number of Labour Party senators in the upper legislative chamber is now five.
PDP, ADP members dump party for APC in Osun
Similarly, Legit.ng reported that the PDP in Osun state lost some of its members to the opposition party, the APC.
Hundreds of the PDP members, as well as Action Democratic Party (ADP) members, dumped their party for the APC.
The PDP defectors, led by former local government scribe Alimi Surajudeen, hinged their decision to leave the party on neglect by Governor Ademola Adeleke.
Proofreading by Nkem Ikeke, journalist and copy editor at Legit.ng.
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Source: Legit.ng