- Fom Daniel Chollom, a Labour Party member of the House of Representatives, has defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC), citing internal party crises and a desire to collaborate with the President.
- Chollom’s defection was announced in a letter read by Speaker Abbas Tajudeen during plenary, where he explained that the leadership tussle within the Labour Party left him uncertain about which faction to align with.
- The Labour Party has vowed to pursue legal action against its members who defected to the APC, stating that nobody reserves the right to defect with the party’s mandate.
Fom Daniel Chollom, a Labour Party member of the House of Representatives, has become the latest to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC), citing internal party crises and a desire to collaborate with the President to advance the nation’s development. This move follows a trend of defections from the Labour Party, with four other members having defected to the APC previously.
Chollom’s defection was announced in a letter read by Speaker Abbas Tajudeen during plenary, where he explained that the leadership tussle within the Labour Party left him uncertain about which faction to align with. He expressed gratitude to the Labour Party for the platform that enabled him to secure his seat but emphasized that his move to the APC was motivated by the need to contribute meaningfully to delivering democratic dividends to Nigerians.
However, the Labour Party has vowed to pursue legal action against its members who defected to the APC, stating that nobody reserves the right to defect with the party’s mandate. The party’s spokesman, Obiora Ifoh, said that the Labour Party leadership has instructed its legal team to commence legal actions against the defectors and to also commence the process of regaining their mandates in line with the 1999 Constitution and the 2022 Electoral Act as amended ².
Reactions to the Defection:
- Minority Leader Kingsley Chinda: criticized Chollom’s defection, arguing that he failed to follow due process.
- Deputy Minority Whip George Ozodinobi: labeled defectors from the Labour Party as lacking ideology, accusing them of undermining the Labour Party’s credibility and depriving the House of high-quality representation.
