27 Lagos Lawmakers ready to join us, Labour Party insists amid Lagos Assembly crises.
Call on Lagos Assembly to stop intimidating members
LABOUR PARTY PRESS STATEMENT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 19, 2025
Fellow Nigerians,
The Lagos State House of Assembly, in its recent statement signed by Hon. (Otunba) Ogundipe Stephen Olukayode, Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Strategy, and Security, has attempted to dismiss reports that 27 of its members are planning to defect to the Labour Party (LP).
Let me state categorically that this denial is nothing but a desperate attempt to suppress the truth and undermine the democratic rights of lawmakers to freely associate with any political party of their choice.
The speed of their denial also suggests they wanted to turned democracy to a joke where they think they can maintain their hold on Lagos at all costs and make everybody their slaves?
Contrary to the claims by the Lagos Assembly, it is an open secret that some members of the House have indeed approached the Labour Party to express their interest in joining our ranks after the unprecedented reconciliatory exploits of our Party National Chairman Bar Julius Abure and National Secretary, Alh Farouk Umar Ibrahim which has put the ruling party in a panic mode and catapulted LP as the Major opposition political party to APC ruling party
These lawmakers are disillusioned with the internal crisis rocking the Assembly, including the controversial removal of the former Speaker, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, and the subsequent election of Rt. Hon. Mojisola Lasbat Meranda as the new Speaker which has brought a very deplorable division within the ranks Governor Advisory Council (GAC) of Lagos State
These developments have created a toxic environment that has left many members questioning their future in the ruling party even as members planning the defections claimed that Rt Hon Mojisola L Meranda as the first indigenous Speaker to preside o er Lagos House of Assembly and any attempt by Abuja /Lagos forces to removed her will meet with mass defection to Labour party which is only viable opposition under the leadership of Bar Julius Abure and Alh Farouk Umar Ibrahim
If not for the facts that there is a suspicion of phantasmagoria afflictions , it is hypocritical for the Lagos Assembly leadership to condemn defection plans when we have seen a wave of defections from the Labour Party and PDP to the All Progressives Congress (APC) at both the federal and state levels across Nigeria in recent times.
For instance, Hon. Esosa Iyawe (Edo), Hon. Chinedu Tochukwu Okere (Imo), and Senator Ezenwa Francis Onyewuchi (Imo) recently defected from the LP and Sen Ned Nwoko from PDP to the APC, and the ruling party applauded their decision.
If defection is acceptable when it benefits the APC, it’s therefore grossly antithetical to the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended why Lagos lawmakers should be denied the same right to join a party that aligns with their values and aspirations?
Nigeria is a democratic nation, and the Constitution guarantees the right of every citizen, including lawmakers, to freely associate with any political party of their choice.
Section 68(1)(g) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) explicitly permits defection provided there is a division in the party or a merger of factions. The ongoing crisis in the Lagos Assembly clearly constitutes a division, making it lawful for any member to defect if they so wish.
*ARE LAGOS LAWMAKERS PUPPETS?
The Lagos Assembly’s statement suggests that lawmakers are mere puppets who cannot make informed decisions about their political future. This is an insult to the intelligence and integrity of these elected representatives.
Lawmakers are not robots; they are individuals with the capacity to assess their political environment and make decisions that best serve their interests and those of their constituents.
We call on the leadership of the Lagos Assembly to stop intimidating its members and allow them to exercise their constitutional rights.
The Labour Party remains a viable alternative for lawmakers who are committed to good governance, transparency, and the welfare of the people.
We welcome all progressive-minded individuals who wish to join us in our mission to rebuild Lagos with Gbadebo Rhodes Vivour and Nigeria with Peter Obi come 2027
The Labour Party stands firm in its belief that democracy thrives when individuals are free to make choices without fear or coercion.
We urge the media and the public to disregard the false narrative being peddled by the Lagos Assembly and focus on the real issues affecting our democracy even as LP is ready to challenge the current status -quo in 2027 with Peter Obi in Nigeria and Gbadebo Rhodes Vivour in Lagos
Long live the Labour Party!
Long live Lagos State!
Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria!
Signed:
Dr Arabambi Abayomi (FBAU)
National Publicity Secretary
Labour Party (LP)
19th February 2025
