Labour Party Faces Legal Challenges as Defectors Evade Service of Court Papers

The Labour Party (LP) is encountering difficulties in its legal efforts to challenge six of its former members in the House of Representatives who defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC). The party is seeking to have their seats declared vacant and recover any salaries and allowances they earned since their defection. However, the defectors continue to evade service of court documents, frustrating the legal process.

“We have tried multiple times to serve them with court papers, but they have evaded service. If this continues, we may be left with no choice but to involve the Clerk of the National Assembly and publish their names in national newspapers,” said LP National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, in a statement on Thursday.

The defecting lawmakers include Ajang Iliya (Jos South/Jos East, Plateau), Tochukwu Okere (Imo), Donatus Mathew (Kaduna), Bassey Akiba (Cross River), Iyawe Esosa (Edo), and Daulyop Fom (Plateau). Iliya, who joined the APC in December 2024, stated that his decision was based on internal party crises and a desire to align with President Bola Tinubu’s policies.

Despite these obstacles, LP leaders are confident in their legal position, dismissing the defectors as “paper-weight politicians” whose exit will not affect the party’s foundation. “We have won similar cases in the past, and they’re wasting their time in the APC. Most of them won’t return to the National Assembly, and those who do will be very few,” Ifoh asserted.

The party has also taken a pragmatic stance on reconciliation, leaving open the possibility of welcoming the defectors back under certain conditions. “In politics, you don’t close your doors, but it will be on our terms,” Ifoh added.

LP’s National Youth Leader, Kennedy Ahanotu, expressed frustration with the slow judicial process in defection cases. He called for quicker legal proceedings, suggesting that efficient courts could resolve such matters within two to three months, paving the way for special elections to select new representatives who are aligned with the party’s principles.

“If the justice system functioned efficiently, defection cases could be resolved swiftly, leading to a re-run for representatives who genuinely serve the party and the people,” Ahanotu concluded.