A significant bloc of the Labour Party (LP) in Anambra State, including four sitting members of the State House of Assembly and numerous party chieftains, formally defected to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) on Saturday.
The move is a direct result of the group’s loyalty to the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, who recently joined the ADC.
The defecting lawmakers are the LP caucus leader in the Assembly, Hon Jude Ifeanyi Umennajiego, alongside Hon Fred Ezenwa, Hon Kingsley Udemezue, and Hon Henry Nigeria Mbachu.
They were joined by high-profile figures such as former State Secretary Barrister Okoli Akirika, former Publicity Secretary Engineer Theo Egbe, and a former Commissioner for Women Affairs, Lady Harrieta Agbata.
Addressing the gathering, Umennajiego declared that the defections following Obi’s political direction would be “humongous and tremendous” across Anambra and the wider South-East. Convener Barrister Okoli Akirika stated the defection was a deliberate decision to follow their leader, noting that some members had witnessed a similar shift in Enugu State.
A communiqué read by Engineer Theo Egbe confirmed the group’s collective resignation from the Labour Party. Members were instructed to return to their respective wards for formal registration with the ADC, emphasizing a strategy to rebuild the party’s structure from the grassroots.
The defectors described the movement as a citizen-led effort to foster good governance and secure a political platform free from internal hijacking.
Discussion about this post