Etanabene Benedict, a member of the Labour Party (LP) caucus
in the house of representatives, says many of his colleagues are considering
defecting to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Benedict spoke on Friday when he was featured on Politics
Today, a programme on Channels Television.
On Thursday, four members of the LP in the lower legislative
chamber joined the APC.
The lawmakers attributed their defections to the crisis
within the party.
The LP had expressed discontent over the defections, saying
it would take legal action against the lawmakers.
The party said it would ask Tajudeen Abbas, speaker of the
house, to declare the seat of the lawmakers vacant.
Benedict, who represents the Okpe/Sapele/Uvwie federal
constituency of Delta, said the legislators defected to the APC as a strategy
ahead of the 2027 general election.
He said the lawmakers were not confident of winning
reelection in 2027 under the LP platform.
“Nobody believes that if you are elected to office, there is
a time limit, and when that time comes, if the people want you again, you’re
reelected; if they don’t want you, you go,” he said.
“It is about 2027. The trend of Edo and Ondo is frightening
to them, and they do not believe that they are strategically positioned to seek
reelection under the umbrella of the Labour Party. That is the main reason.
“There are still many others in the Labour Party that are
thinking along that line too. So, if it happens tomorrow, I won’t be
surprised.”
Benedict dismissed the lawmakers’ claims of an internal
crisis in the LP, saying it was an excuse to justify their exit from the party.
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