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Labour Party Defections: Lawmaker Reveals Potential Shift to APC Ahead of 2027 Elections
Etanabene Benedict, a Labour Party (LP) member in the House of Representatives, has revealed that several colleagues are considering defecting to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday, December 6, Benedict attributed the moves to strategic positioning for the 2027 general elections.
This follows the defection of four LP lawmakers to the APC on Thursday, citing alleged internal crises within the party. The Labour Party, however, dismissed these claims, labeling them a pretext and threatening legal action against the defectors.
The party has also urged Speaker Tajudeen Abbas to declare the defectors’ seats vacant.
Benedict, representing the Okpe/Sapele/Uvwie federal constituency of Delta, explained that fear of political vulnerability under the LP banner is driving these defections.
“The trend of Edo and Ondo is frightening to them,” he stated, adding that some lawmakers doubt their chances of reelection if they remain in the Labour Party.
While acknowledging the possibility of more defections, Benedict denied any significant internal crisis in the party. “There are still many others in the Labour Party that are thinking along that line too,” he said, emphasizing that strategic calculations, rather than party issues, are motivating the moves.
The Labour Party’s response underscores its resolve to protect its political base, even as it faces challenges in retaining its lawmakers amid shifting political allegiances.
TV anchor Rufai Oseni makes headlines as he speaks on fuel subsidy in Nigeria. He shared that Nigeria can have fuel subsidy without the long queues at filling stations.
“When we were still paying subsidies, there were no long queues. We were subsidising. So you can still have a subsidy regime going on, and there will be no long queues because production was close by. Dangote had it. That’s just it. That argument also falls flat.
“The biggest beneficiaries of subsidy are not Nigerians. They are crony capitalists that have big infrastructure, and they do contracts. They have been the biggest beneficiaries of the subsidy,” he said.
Lagos State Governor, Sanwo-Olu, speaks to those in the electricity sector about the usual blackouts in the state.
He speaks on ways things can change in the state and how electricity can be provided.
“We need to drop corporate egos, abandon long-standing excuses, and confront the harsh realities obstructing progress in the power sector.”
“We, state governments, used to give excuses that everything is centralised, so the Federal Government has unbundled it now. What have we done in a year and a half?” Sanwo-Olu asked.
“We take two steps forward, we go five steps backward,” he said.
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has declared Thursday, August 20, a work-free day for public servants in the state to mark the Isese Festival.
Speaking on the celebration, he said “Ìṣẹ̀ṣe is not a relic. It is a living expression of our traditions and a celebration of Yoruba spirituality as an important part of Nigeria’s cultural and religious landscape,” he said.
He added “When the drums sound in Lagos on Thursday, they answer drums in Havana, in Salvador, in Port of Spain. Fifty-five million people and counting. Lagos is not observing a local holiday. Lagos is standing at the centre of a global heritage,” Aregbe said.
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