Etanabene Benedict, LP lawmaker representing Okpe/Sapele/Uvwie federal constituency of Delta
Etanabene Benedict, a member of the Labour Party (LP) caucus in the house of representatives, says many of his colleagues are considering defecting to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Benedict spoke on Friday when he was featured on Politics Today, a programme on Channels Television.
On Thursday, four members of the LP in the lower legislative chamber joined the APC.
The lawmakers attributed their defections to the crisis within the party.
The LP had expressed discontent over the defections, saying it would take legal action against the lawmakers.
The party said it would ask Tajudeen Abbas, speaker of the house, to declare the seat of the lawmakers vacant.
Benedict, who represents the Okpe/Sapele/Uvwie federal constituency of Delta, said the legislators defected to the APC as a strategy ahead of the 2027 general election.
He said the lawmakers were not confident of winning reelection in 2027 under the LP platform.
“Nobody believes that if you are elected to office, there is a time limit, and when that time comes, if the people want you again, you’re reelected; if they don’t want you, you go,” he said.
“It is about 2027. The trend of Edo and Ondo is frightening to them, and they do not believe that they are strategically positioned to seek reelection under the umbrella of the Labour Party. That is the main reason.
“There are still many others in the Labour Party that are thinking along that line too. So, if it happens tomorrow, I won’t be surprised.”
Benedict dismissed the lawmakers’ claims of an internal crisis in the LP, saying it was an excuse to justify their exit from the party
