The Labour Party (LP) has faced another setback as Mr. Ajang Iliya, a member of the House of Representatives representing Jos South/Jos East Federal Constituency in Plateau State, defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). This latest defection brings the total number of Labour Party lawmakers switching allegiance to the APC to seven within one week.
At a plenary session on Wednesday, House Speaker Tajudeen Abbas formally announced Iliya’s defection, reading his letter of resignation from the Labour Party. In the letter, Iliya cited internal leadership crises within the LP and challenges aligning with the party’s stance on current issues as reasons for his decision.
“I find it difficult to align with LP’s position on current issues,” Iliya stated, signaling dissatisfaction with the party’s direction.
Iliya’s departure follows similar moves by lawmakers Tochukwu Okere (Imo), Donatus Mathew (Kaduna), Bassey Akiba (Cross River), Iyawe Esosa (Edo), Daulyop Fom (Plateau), and Daniel Chollom, who also recently defected to the APC. Chollom, while explaining his decision, highlighted the Labour Party’s leadership struggles and expressed a desire to support the President in achieving national development goals.
“You cannot just work on the decision of the people at the constituency level because you are dealing with people with different levels of understanding,” one of the defected lawmakers commented, further justifying the decision to switch parties.
The Labour Party’s leadership crisis has been widely noted as a major factor in the defections, raising concerns about its stability and ability to retain political representation at the federal level.
This wave of defections marks a challenging period for the Labour Party as it navigates internal conflicts and seeks to retain its position in Nigeria’s political landscape. Meanwhile, the APC continues to consolidate its majority in the National Assembly ahead of critical legislative decisions.
