The Labor Party, LP, has recorded another major boost in Ogbadibo Local Government Area of Benue State following the defection of over 1,000 members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, All Progressives Congress, APC, African Democratic Congress, ADC and other political parties.
The latest mass defection took place in Orokam District on Wednesday and was part of a wave of political realignments across Ogbadibo, which includes Orokam, Owukpa and Otukpa districts, ahead of the 2027 general election.
The defectors, made up of political stakeholders, community leaders and supporters, were formally received into the Labor Party at a ceremony attended by the leaders of the party at the state and local government levels.
Hon. E.E. Justice, a former House of Assembly aspirant on the platform of the ADC, who spoke for the defectors, said their decision to join the LP was due to the party’s commitment to inclusive leadership, development and grassroots participation.
Justice also said the leadership and representation of the member representing Ado/Okpokwu/Ogbadibo Federal Constituency, Hon. Philip Agbese, popularly known as Okanga 1 of Enone Kingdom, was a major factor in their decision.
Some defectors publicly discarded symbols of their former political parties before they were presented with Labor Party flags and membership materials.
The new members were received by the Benue State Chairman of the Labor Party, Hon. Williams Ochonu Okefie and the party’s Ogbadibo Local Governmentd Chairman, Hon. Peter Enejor who promised equal opportunities to them in the party.
Agbese, who also welcomed the defectors, said their decision was a reflection of the growing acceptance of the Labor Party across Ogbadibo.
The federal lawmaker felicitated the new members into the LP and charged them to work with the existing members to strengthen the party at the grassroots.
He promised them there would be no discrimination between old and new members and stressed that everyone would be given a chance to contribute to the growth of the party.
Agbese, who is seeking re-election to the House of Representatives in 2027, has been at the core of the Labor Party’s increasing political activities in Enone Federal Constituency since his joining the party.
He won the LP ticket for the constituency earlier this year.