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Six lawmakers of Enugu State House Assembly elected on the platform of the Labour Party have defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The defectors made their decision known in a letter addressed to and read by the House Speaker, Chief Uche Ugwu, during plenary at the Assembly Legislative Complex on Thursday, March 28, 2024.
Those who defected include Ejike Eze (Igbo-Eze North 1); Johnson Ugwu (Enugu North); Princess Ugwu (Enugu South Rural); Pius Ezeugwu (Nsukka West); Amuka Williams (Igbo-Etiti East); and Osita Eze (Oji River).
The lawmakers cited an alleged irreconcilable division and ongoing crisis within the Labour Party at the national and across all state chapters as the reasons for defection.
“Regrettably, the party has evolved into a state of perpetual discord with various factions embroiled in legal battles thereby undermining its ability to effectively serve the interest of the people.
“The Labour Party once a beacon of hope for progressive ideas, have regrettably become synonymous with internal squabbles, thereby reducing its capacity to fulfil the aspirations of electorates,” the letter partly read.
The defectors expressed hopes that their new party (PDP) would offer them a platform to serve their people with the required commitment.
This development comes barely 24 hours after the national body of the Labour Party returned Julius Abure as national chairman in a controversial convention held in Nnewi, Anambra State.
However, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has rejected the convention that produced Abure, claiming that it didn’t monitor the exercise as required by the law.