The Senator representing Enugu East Senatorial District, Sen. Kelvin Chukwu, has attributed his defection from Labour Party (LP) to All Progressives Congress (APC) to internal wrangling, leadership crises, lack of cohesion and direction in his former party.
Chukwu stated this in the letter of defection read by the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, during plenary on Wednesday.
The senator said that his decision to move to APC was reached after extensive consultations with his constituents in his senatorial district, political associates and stakeholders across various levels in Enugu State.
“It is a reflection of my commitment to aligning with a platform that works and I believe I’ll do better and represent the collective interest of my people better.
“I’ll bring more dividends of democracy; I’ll meet the aspirations of the good people of Enugu East Senatorial District and Nigerians at large,” he said.
Chukwu said that recent developments, including internal wrangling, leadership crises, policy disagreements, lack of cohesion, direction and focus at both the state and national levels had made it increasingly difficult for him to effectively discharge his duties as lawmaker.
“These challenges have undermined the core values and principles upon which the Labour Party was initially founded,” he said.
The senator said that convinced that APC provides more stable, progressive, inclusive platform for achieving the shared goals of economic growth, good governance, national unity, national cohesion, social development and progress for Nigeria.
He expressed his renewed committed to serving the people of his senatorial district and Nigerians in general with integrity, diligence and patriotism.
Reacting to the development, the Senate Leader, Sen. Opeyemi Bamidele, congratulated Akpabio as Chairman of the National Assembly, President Bola Tinubu and APC lawmakers in the National Assembly on the gale of defections across the country.
“I am congratulating all of us because what is happening is not just by an accident of history. What is happening is in direct response to the new things happening to Nigeria.
“The APC-led government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is working, and regardless of what anyone would have thought a year or two years ago, it is becoming obvious to Nigerians that we are making a difference.
“The economy has risen from the floor where it had been; the economy is improving by the day, home and abroad. The prices of goods in the market are showing that this government is working,” he said.
In his remarks, Akpabio said: “I have always worried about the left side of the aisle, but I’m no longer worried. If they like, let them all move here.
“I want a strong and vibrant opposition in Nigeria but where they are not able to organise themselves and all the political parties are in tatters, then the right thing for them to do is to join me and join Mr President.
“We are not going to have one-party system and that is why INEC is registering more parties.
“Please put your house in order. I have been looking at the way you are getting depleted on a daily basis and I am in total sympathy with what is going on.
“The PDP is on the ground; the umbrella is torn, the Labour Party is scattered,” Akpabio said.
However, the Senate Minority Leader, Abba Moro, in his reaction, said: “With due respect and without prejudice to some achievements that Mr President has made, I want to say that no matter the number that are here (the opposition), we are capable of holding our own.
“You said all politics are local. Those who are gravitating towards the majority side are exercising their rights.
“But my brother and friend, Kelvin, who has just left the third row here to go to the last row there, I wish him good luck.
“Mr President, when it was announced that he was going, and he said he had made adequate consultations, I asked the question: who have you consulted because he didn’t talk to me.
“And I do know that because our politics are local, my brother came here on the ‘Obedient Movement’; he came here on the sympathy vote because an accident happened. That is a story for another day,” Moro said.
Freedomonline reports that with Chukwu’s defection, APC now has 73 senators in the Red Chamber.
