Premium News
LABOUR PARTY LOSES 21 LAWMAKER’S AHEAD 2027 ELECTIONS
No fewer than 21 lawmakers have so far dumped the once-hailed Nigeria’s fastest-growing political movement, the Labour Party (LP), since the conclusion of the 2023 general elections.
The party is now confronting a harsh political reality an alarming defection of 21 elected lawmakers within just 12 months.
The wave of resignations, party switches, and internal discontent has cast a dark shadow over the LP, raising serious concerns about the party’s future ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Riding on the popularity of its 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, the LP stunned the nation by securing seats across the Senate, House of Representatives, and several state assemblies.
But that rise has quickly unravelled, with defections that cut across the political map.
Analysts and insiders blame the turmoil on intra-party wrangling, the absence of a strong ideological identity, weak leadership, and a failure to consolidate early gains.
The first major crack came in July 2024, when Senator Ezenwa Francis Onyewuchi (Imo East) defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
His departure proved to be the trigger for what would become a domino effect, exposing deep fractures in the party.
Soon after, five members of the House of Representatives followed suit:
Chinedu Okere – Imo State
Mathew Donatus – Kaduna State
Bassey Akiba – Cross River State
Esosa Iyawe – Edo State
Alfred Iliya Ajang – Plateau State
More Lawmakers Jump Ship
Subsequently, Rep. Dalyop Chollom (Plateau) also exited the party, deepening the sense of crisis.
The situation deteriorated further in Enugu State, a region once considered an LP stronghold.
In a major blow, six lawmakers from the Enugu State House of Assembly defected to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP):
Ejike Eze
Johnson Ugwu
Pius Ezeuwa
Amuka William
Osita Eze
Princess Ugwu
Their reasons included loss of confidence in the party’s leadership, direction, and internal cohesion.
By early 2025, the trend worsened with three House of Representatives members from Enugu State dumping the LP:
Dennis Agbo – defected to PDP
Chidi Obetta – defected to PDP
Sunday Umeha – defected to APC
Adding to the tally, Malachi-Okey Onyechi, a member of the Enugu State Assembly, also joined the PDP.
Senators Kingibe and Imasuen Exit LP
Two high-profile exits occurred with Senator Ireti Kingibe, representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and Senator Neda Imasuen, representing Edo South, departing the party, further depleting the LP’s presence in the Senate.
The list was rounded up by two more House of Reps members from Enugu who formally resigned in mid-2025: Chimaobi Atu and Paul Nnanchi.
The 21 lawmakers, spanning Imo, Kaduna, Cross River, Edo, Plateau, Enugu, and the FCT, among others, have either joined the APC or PDP, citing various justifications, including a lack of structure, alignment with the centre, and the need for survival ahead of 2027.
Below is the complete list of the 21 Lawmakers who have dumped the Labour Party:
Senator Ezenwa Francis Onyewuchi – Imo East
Chinedu Okere – Reps, Imo
Mathew Donatus – Reps, Kaduna
Bassey Akiba – Reps, Cross River
Esosa Iyawe – Reps, Edo
Alfred Iliya Ajang – Reps, Plateau
Dalyop Chollom – Reps, Plateau
Ejike Eze – Enugu State Assembly
Johnson Ugwu – Enugu State Assembly
Pius Ezeuwa – Enugu State Assembly
Amuka William – Enugu State Assembly
Osita Eze – Enugu State Assembly
Princess Ugwu – Enugu State Assembly
Dennis Agbo – Reps, Enugu
Chidi Obetta – Reps, Enugu
Sunday Umeha – Reps, Enugu
Malachi-Okey Onyechi – Enugu State Assembly
Ireti Kingibe – Senator, FCT
Neda Imasuen – Senator, Edo South
Chimaobi Atu – Reps, Enugu
Paul Nnanchi – Reps, Enugu
Reacting to the wave of defections, Labour Party’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiorah Ifoh, said the party had started compiling the names of defectors for inclusion in a ‘Hall of Shame’.
He said they would pursue legal action based on Section 68(g) of the 1999 Constitution, which prohibits defections not rooted in division within a party.
“We have instructed our legal team to initiate proceedings. These defectors are betraying the voters’ trust,” Ifoh said in a statement released recently.
He insisted that the defections were not due to failure on the part of the LP, but rather driven by political expediency.
Political analyst, Prof. Kamilu Sani Fage, noted that the LP’s success in 2023 was based more on Peter Obi’s personality than on a strong, nationwide party infrastructure.
“Labour Party is one of Nigeria’s oldest parties, but it was Peter Obi’s entry that brought national attention. Without institutional structure, the momentum was always going to be short-lived,” Daily Trust quoted the analyst as saying.
Fage warned that without Peter Obi running again or retaining popularity, the party may completely disintegrate.
There are rising concerns that both Peter Obi and Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, may soon leave the party, which could spell political doom.
Their exit, analysts say, would be the final nail in the coffin.
With the African Democratic Congress (ADC) now emerging as the adopted vehicle for a new opposition coalition, the LP’s role as a viable third force is fading fast.
Beyond the Labour Party, analysts say the trend of politicians jumping ship exposes Nigeria’s weak party culture.
“In Nigeria, where there are politicians without a clear ideology, their only ideology is survival,” Ifoh said.
On his part, Fage warned that the mass defection to the ruling party could suppress electoral competition and reduce the quality of Nigeria’s democracy.
“This kind of defection is neither natural nor healthy. Some are enticed, others threatened. But it endangers the role of the opposition,” he said
