Omoyele Sowore, the 2023 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), has strongly criticized the current crop of Labour Party (LP) lawmakers, accusing them of being "not real" due to their increasing alignment with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Sowore made his remarks on Channels Television, pointing to a growing trend of LP lawmakers in both chambers of the National Assembly defecting to the APC. He asserted that these defections demonstrate a lack of genuine commitment from the lawmakers, both in the 2023 elections and looking ahead to 2027. "Look at all the Labour Party people in the National Assembly - they’re not decamping back to where they came from. They’re decamping to the APC. That’s the point; these guys are not real. They weren’t real in 2023, and they won’t be in 2027," Sowore stated.
The Daily Mentor reports that several LP members have recently defected to the APC or the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), including:
- Tochukwu Okere (Imo)
- Donatus Mathew (Kaduna)
- Bassey Akiba (Cross River)
- Iyawe Esosa (Edo)
- Daulyop Fom Chollom (Plateau), representing Barkin Ladi/Riyom Federal Constituency
- Hon. Odey Brian, representing Yala 1 State Constituency in the Cross River House of Assembly
- Ajang Iliya, representing Jos South/Jos East federal constituency, Plateau state
- Daniel Chollom, representing Barkin Ladi/Riyom Federal Constituency in Plateau State
- Senator Ezenwa Francis Onyewuchi (Imo state), representing Imo East senatorial district
Sowore's criticism underscores the growing concerns about party loyalty and ideological consistency within Nigeria's political landscape, as the APC continues to attract members from opposition parties.