The Imo State faction of the Labour Party (LP) has asked the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, to declare the seat of the lawmaker representing the Imo East (Owerri), in the Senate, Ezenwa Onyewuchi, vacant, after he decamped to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The party stated that Onyewuchi would not be missed because he stopped attending its meetings and functions after he was sworn into the Senate.
The decision of Onyewuchi, who won the 2023 election into the Senate on the platform of the Labour Party (LP), to defect to the APC was read on the floor of the Senate by Akpabio on Tuesday.
The lawmaker, after his defection, also declared support for President Bola Tinubu and Governor Hope Uzodinma.
He said his decision was made after due consultation with his family, supporters, constituent members, and conscience.
However, the Imo state LP Publicity Secretary, Bright Ofurum, in a statement on Thursday, described Onyewuchi’s defection to the APC as shameless and dishonourable after his months of hide-and-seek with the party.
The Imo LP noted that Onyewuchi’s political career would have been over following his heavy defeat at the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP senatorial primaries, but was revived by the party which backed and sponsored him.
The party noted that they will use every legal avenue to reclaim the mandate given to him.
The statement read, “We received the unfortunate news that the member representing Imo East (Owerri), Senator Ezenwa Onyewuchi has defected to the APC on the floor of the Senate on Tuesday after his months of hide and seek with the APC.
“From the very day he was sworn into the 10th Senate, he has not attended any of our party’s meetings or functions and has not added any value to our party, so he will not be missed at all. We recall that his political career was drowned and dead after he was terribly defeated in the PDP senatorial primaries, even as a serving senator, before our great party took pity on him, picked him up from the depths of the ocean, gave him life jacket (our party’s ticket) and revived him politically.
“In the light of the current development and in line with the 1999 constitution as amended, we request him to do the needful and resign immediately from the Senate, following his defection to the APC. He is carrying the mandate of our party.
“We call on the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, to declare his seat vacant within three days in line with section 68(2)of the 1999 constitution as amended; failure to do that, we will invoke all available legal avenues to reclaim our mandate.”
