The Labor Party (LP) said it was a liability to members who left the House of Commons and insisted that their defections would not affect the party's strength.
Party leaders described the defectors as “paper politicians” who had only seized power on the LP’s platform and promises of quality leadership.
In an interview with Punch on Friday, Labor’s national secretary Umar Farouq and national legal adviser Kehinde Edun both insisted that defectors would not be overlooked.
Mr Farooq claimed that the MPs had not contributed anything to the party, adding that their departure was a relief rather than a loss.
Mr. Edun expressed similar views, stressing that the party will ensure accountability.
The Labor Party confirmed that it had brought legal proceedings to declare the defector's seat vacant and to demand the return of all salaries and allowances he had received.
The party’s National Public Relations Secretary, Obiora Ifor, disclosed that the decision was taken to protect the integrity of the party and deter similar actions in the future.
The other five members are Mr. Tochukwu Okere (Imo), Mr. Donatus Mathews (Kaduna), Mr. Bassey Akiba (Cross River), Mr. Iyawe Esosa (Ed) and Mr. Dawryop Fomu (Plateau). be.
Regarding exile, Farouk said: Since these people joined the party, they have not made any contribution to the movement or development of the party. So why should I care? In fact, they even gave the party the opportunity to drag itself to court.
“So we will take them to court and we are confident that their seats will be declared vacant. Then we will ask the Speaker to take the honorable step. But we We will definitely take them to court.For now, we can be seen exposing other members for acts that make a mockery of the party that has given them a voice and a platform. They argue that it should not be done.
“It is clear that those who left the party do not share our ideology. That is why they were able to commit such brutal acts. What is frustrating is that the party leadership has already This kind of brutality comes at a time when we are offering them an olive branch and encouraging those who have been hurt or who are planning to leave the party to come back.”
Asked why he thought the six MPs chose to join the APC rather than the opposition, Mr Farooq said it may have a lot to do with personal interests.
“Of course, you know them (legislators). They are doing it for their own selfish interests. They want to be in the majority and have access to useful committees and opportunities. I’m thinking.
“Many of them are in the House of Commons for the first time and have seen what’s going on there, so they get distracted and keep collecting everything they see,” he said. Ta.
The Secretary of State criticized the party’s lenient approach in not imposing sanctions on the LP leader who was at fault from the beginning.
“When they were doing all these things, we took no action against them. They even had the audacity to oppose and challenge the constitutionality of the leadership. As a result, they came up with all kinds of factions.
“Imagine them blaming defections for the crisis in the party. When there is a crisis within the party, they should admit that they are the architects. only for his personal benefit,” Farooq reiterated.
Edun, the LP’s legal adviser, described the rebellious MPs as traitors.
Mr Edun expressed confidence that the APC would not give the members the party ticket to the next election.
he said: “These people are paper politicians. The party only helped them get to where they are now because of the movement we were able to build in the run up to the elections. Many would not have even won a parliamentary seat, but their victories were made possible because of the movement their parts created.
“Right now, many of them are irresponsible. They are not performing well and they know that because of their poor performance they may have difficulty persuading voters. Their reasoning now is that perhaps the ruling party If they moved to the US, they would not have to face the people who voted for them.
“But that is not the case because many of them cannot even get through the APC primaries, where stronger aspirants are waiting for them.Many of the parties they lost in the general elections are Nigerians wanted the Labor Party and had put their thumbprint on every category with the logo.”
