Senator Ireti Kingibe, who represents the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in the National Assembly, has officially resigned from the Labour Party (LP). She has now pitched her political tent with the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Speaking to journalists in Abuja, Kingibe confirmed her departure, citing internal crises and a split within the Labour Party as key reasons for her defection.
“I’m totally and completely committed to ADC,” she said. “But obviously, as the senator representing the Federal Capital Territory, don’t expect me to just take a lunch break and go collect a card. I want to do so with noise and fanfare.”
She described the ADC as a party that is “still evolving,” and compared its current state to a child that is still crawling.
“So you cannot say while your child is still crawling that you are not happy with how he’s going to run. You wait. We are growing.”
Kingibe’s exit is seen as a political shake-up in the FCT, where she had been a notable face of the Labour Party since its recent rise to popularity.
‘Two Factions, Two Results’
The senator didn’t mince words as she described the internal battles tearing the Labour Party apart.
“There are two factions — clear factions of Labour Party,” she said. “Even INEC got two sets of results and candidates, though they didn’t accept any.”
Kingibe insists that her defection aligns with constitutional rights.
“The perfect definition that the constitution gives for somebody to decamp without penalty applies in this case,” she added.
In Nigerian law, elected officials can switch parties without losing their seat if there’s a division in their former party. According to Kingibe, this is precisely what’s happening in Labour Party.
“If there were not two distinct factions of Labour Party, I would not presume to decamp, because that is unconstitutional,” she said. “But they are. And this is the definition the constitution gave why it would be okay to decamp to anywhere I wanted to go. I just chose ADC.”
A Calculated Move or Political Gamble?
Kingibe’s decision may reshape the political dynamics in the FCT, especially as parties begin to strategise ahead of 2027.
Her alignment with ADC adds a new layer to the growing chorus of political realignments and coalition talks quietly unfolding across Nigeria.
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What a shame that the Labour Party has descended so low to squabbling and power tussles!