The Labour Party has issued a three-day ultimatum to Senate President Godswill Akpabio to declare the seat of Senator Ezenwa Onyewuchi vacant, following his defection to the All Progressives Congress.Â
In a letter to the Senate President, the party warned that failure to comply would lead to legal action to reclaim the mandate given by the Imo East electorates.
The party’s publicity secretary in Imo State, Bright Ofurum, expressed regret over supporting the lawmaker representing Imo East Senatorial District, who was defeated in the PDP primary election, and accused him of betraying the party that revived his political career.
“Yesterday Tuesday 23rd July, 2024, we received unfortunate news that the member representing Imo East in the Senate, Sen. Ezenwa Onyewuchi has shamelessly and dishonourably defected to APC on the floor of the Senate after months of hide and seek romance with APC.
“From the very day Sen. Ezenwa Onyewuchi was sworn into the 10th Senate he has not attended any of our Party’s meetings or functions and have not added any value to our Party, thus our Party will not miss him at all.
“We recalled that the political carrier of the said Sen. Ezenwa Onyewuchi was drowned and dead after he was terribly defeated in the PDP primary election even as a serving Senator, before our great Party took pity on him, picked him from the depth of the ocean where he drowned, gave him life jacket (our Party’s ticket) and revived him politically.” The statement reads in parts.
LP reminded Onyewuchi that defecting from a party that sponsored and supported him at a very difficult time when his political career was drowning amounts to biting the fingers that fed him when he was hungry.
“It is a very big political suicide which has 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.Â
“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 noted.
The party, however, appealed to its supporters and party members to remain calm and law-abiding, “as we shall invoke all legal avenues available to us to reclaim our mandate from the ungrateful Senator.”
