Hon Brian Odey has not yet issued a public statement explaining his reasons for defecting to the APC.
By TheInvestigator
The Cross River State Chapter of the Labour Party has expressed profound disappointment over the recent defection of its only member in the State House of Assembly, Hon Brian Odey, to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Odey, who represents Yala 1 State Constituency, was elected under the Labour Party in the March 2023 elections. However, in a surprising move, he switched allegiance to the ruling APC, prompting outrage from his party.
In a strongly-worded statement issued by the Labour Party’s State Publicity Secretary, Comrade Amawu Cletus Albert Amawu, the party decried Odey’s defection as an act of betrayal. Amawu accused Odey of lacking political integrity and disregarding the will of the people who entrusted him with their mandate. According to the Labour Party, Odey’s political ambition would not have been realized without the platform the party provided.
“Hon Brian Odey was elected on the Labour Party platform against all odds; but for the Party, he wouldn’t have achieved his ambition to become a member of the Cross River State House of Assembly,” Amawu said. The statement went on to criticize the defection as reflective of a broader issue in Nigerian politics, where politicians act out of self-interest rather than the service of their constituents.
The Labour Party described Odey’s action as a “reckless decision” and accused him of trading the collective vision of his constituency for personal gain. “Odey has blown his people’s goodwill and magnanimity to the wind for a pot of porridge,” Amawu added, suggesting that the move to the APC was motivated by a desire for “stomach infrastructure” rather than any ideological shift.
In a call to action, the Labour Party urged the people of Yala 1 State Constituency to “do the needful as required by law” in response to the defection. The party suggested that Odey’s decision could be his political undoing, warning that he had miscalculated his future by aligning with a party that has been blamed for “inflicting extreme calamity on Nigerians.”
While acknowledging Odey’s right to make political choices, the Labour Party insisted that he owes both the party and his constituents a formal explanation for his defection. “We expect that he will provide a formal and tangible explanation to both the Party and his constituents for his reasons to defect to the All Progressives Congress,” the statement read.
The Labour Party further announced that it would be reviewing its relationship with individuals seeking to use the party platform for political gain only to abandon it after achieving personal ambitions. “Odey and his likes should be reminded that the forest cannot disappear because one tree is hewn down,” the statement concluded.
Hon Brian Odey has not yet issued a public statement explaining his reasons for defecting to the APC.