The Labour Party has issued Senate President Godswill Akpabio a three-day ultimatum to declare the seat of Senator Ezenwa Onyewuchi vacant following his defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Journalist101 recalls that Onyewuchi on Tuesday, 23rd July, 2024, defected to the ruling APC, citing “intractable division and crisis in the Labour Party that sponsored his earlier election into the Nigerian Senate.”
However, the party warned that failure to comply would result in legal action to reclaim the mandate given by the Imo East electorate.
In a letter to the Senate President, the party expressed regret over having supported Onyewuchi, who was defeated in the PDP primary election, and accused him of betraying the trust of the party that revitalized his political career.
The party demands that Onyewuchi’s seat be declared vacant to reflect his change in party affiliation.
The Labour Party’s publicity secretary in Imo State, Bright Ofurum, described Onyewuchi’s defection as a “shameless and dishonourable” act, asserting that the party would not miss him. He noted that Onyewuchi had not attended any party meetings or functions since being sworn into the Senate.
The party reminded Onyewuchi that abandoning the party that sponsored and supported him during a challenging time in his political career was “political suicide” with serious consequences.
“Having contested and won the Imo East Senatorial seat on the platform of our great party LP, Sen. Ezenwa Onyewuchi is carrying the mandate of our party as well as that of Imo East Senatorial Zone, suffice to point out crystal clear that the Imo East electorates passionately voted for our Party and not him as a person, he cannot carry our mandate to APC.
“In the light of the current development and in line with the letters and spirit of the 1999 Constitution as amended, we request Sen. Ezenwa Onyewuchi to do the needful and resign immediately from the Senate following his shameful defection.
“Furthermore, we respectfully call on the Senate President, Sen. Godswill Akpabio to immediately declare Sen. Ezenwa Onyewuchi’s seat in the Senate vacant in line with section 68(2) of the Constitution.
“Our party hereby gives the Senate President 3 days to declare Sen. Onyewuchi’s seat vacant otherwise we shall approach the Court to reclaim the mandate freely given to our Party by Imo East electorates who placed their love & support in us,” the party added.
