The National Assembly senator for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) senatorial district, Ireti Kingibe, has announced that she has defected from the Labour Party (LP) to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), laying the groundwork for her political plans in the run-up to the general election in 2027.
Kingibe called the action “deliberate and strategic” in an interview with reporters in Abuja. She also confirmed that a formal announcement, accompanied by “noise and fanfare,” would soon be made.
“I’m totally and completely committed to ADC,” she declared. ” But obviously, as the Senator representing the Federal Capital Territory, don’t expect me to just take a lunch break and go and collect a card. I want to do so with noise and fanfare.”
Kingibe compared the ADC’s development to that of a developing child when asked if she was confident in the party’s structure and new coalition. “You cannot say while your child is still crawling that you’re unhappy with how he’s going to run. You wait. We are growing,” she clarified.
The Senator brought up the ongoing internal conflict within the Labour Party when discussing whether her defection was lawful. Citing constitutional grounds that permit an elected official to defect without losing their seat in such cases, she justified her action by pointing to the existence of two distinct factions within the party.
“There are two clear factions of the Labour Party, the perfect definition the constitution gives for someone to decamp without penalty,” she stated. “So, you say I should stay in the Labour Party. Which faction do you want me to stay in?”
She went on to emphasize the party’s division by pointing out that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had previously received opposing lists of candidates and results from both factions.
“If there were not two distinct factions of the Labour Party, I would not presume to decamp. But there are. And this is the definition the constitution gave for why it’s okay to decamp to anywhere I want. I just chose ADC,” she said.
