The lawmaker representing Enugu East Senatorial District, Kelvin Chukwu, has defected from the Labour Party (LP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), citing a leadership crisis within the party
Chukwu said that he could not remain in the party since there was no timeline for the crisis rocking the opposition party to end.
His defection was formally announced on Wednesday during plenary, following the reading of his letter by the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio.
According to the letter, Chukwu said his decision stemmed from what he described as the shattered and unfocused state of the Labour Party.
The lawmaker noted that the deepening internal crisis had made it difficult for him to represent the interests of his constituents effectively.
Akpabio, who acknowledged the letter and welcomed the lawmaker to the ruling party, commended his colleague for considering his political career.
However, the Senate Minority Leader, Abba Moro, has dismissed the lawmaker’s defection, describing Chukwu as one of the paperweight politicians who won elections on sympathy votes.
Moro added that the lawmaker’s defection would have “no significant impact” on the chances of the ruling party to return to power in the 2027 general elections.
Chukwu’s defection further bolsters the APC’s footprint in the South-East, coming amid reports of ongoing realignments across political camps ahead of the 2027 polls.
The defection came two years after replacing his elder brother, Oyibo Chukwu, on the ballot following the LP chieftain’s murder along Amechi town, three days before the 25 February presidential and National Assembly elections in the state.
The late Oyibo Chukwu was killed and set ablaze at Amechi Awkunanaw along with his five supporters after gunmen attacked his convoy during the campaign ahead of the 2023 election in Enugu.
