Benedict Etanabene, the lawmaker representing Okpe/Sapele/Ubwie Federal Constituency in Delta State in the House of Representatives, has submitted that the recent defections of some Labor Party members are not about the crisis in the Labor Party.
He said the MPs who recently expelled the All Progressives Congress (APC) from the Labor Party were only preparing for the 2027 elections.
In his view, the recent victories of APC in the Ondo and Edo State governorship elections have left some opposition members reeling and thinking about their political future.
He further maintained that there is no crisis in the Labor Party as claimed by the four members who recently expelled the party from the APC.
Appearing on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday, Mr Etanabene said the four MPs who left the party were loyal to the Julius Habre faction of the Labor Party and there was no basis for them to leave the party.
“There is no leadership crisis in the Labor Party,” he told Channels Television’s Politics Today. “When it comes to these issues, I would say that the majority of those who have left now are people who believe in the leadership of Julius Habre.
“It’s not just the Labor Party. I would like to see what other opposition parties do. What happened in Edo and Ondo is scary because in 2027 it will be business as usual for the APC. We are starting to think about our positioning,” he said.
Naija News reported on Thursday that Chinedu Okere (Owerri City/Owerri North/Owerri West Constituency), Matthew Donatus (Kaura Federal Constituency of Kaduna), Akiva Bassey (Calabar City/Odukpani Constituency), Esosa Iyawe (Oredo Federal Constituency of Ed) is recalling that he defected. From the Labor Party to the APC.
Asked during the interview whether he intended to exclude the Labor Party in the future, Etanabene denied that possibility.
He also lamented that votes are not counted in Nigeria, but called for changes to the system.
He also called on politicians to respect morality in politics and avoid abandoning the political parties that gave them the opportunity to be elected.
