Cross River Lawmaker Dumps PDP, Joins Obi in Labour Party

By Chidi Levi

The Labour Party and its candidate for next year’s Presidential Election, Peter Obi, continue to attract defectors from other parties.

The latest entrant into the party is Hon.Daniel Asuquo representing  AKAMKPA/BIASE Federal constituency in the House of Representatives.

Unti his defection, Asuquo was a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

In May, he contested for the party’s governorship ticket for Cross River but lost to Senator Sandy Onor representing Cross River Central Senatorial District in the Senate.

In a resignation letter dated July 8, 2022 and addressed to the PDP Akamkpa Urban ward Chairman, Hon. Asuquo cited failure of the party to respect the Cross River governorship rotational principle which would have seen the governorship ticket zoned to Cross River South Senatorial District as one of the reasons for his defection.

He decried “the decision by a group of persons in the party to pursue a narrow and sectional interest as against the interest of the masses”

Hon. Asuquo condemned ” the hypocrisy of the party in its refusal to endorse power rotation for the gubernatorial position while doing so for the Deputy Governorship position”

He described the situation “as the height of disregard for the people of Southern Senatorial District”

The Lawmaker’s campaign office in Calabar is already decorated with banners and posters of Labour party.

Campaign posters announcing his Senatorial candidacy for Cross River South on the platform of the party also adorn the building.

Hon. Asuquo’s defection to the Labour Party comes on the heels of those of  Senator Ezenwa Francis Onyewuchi ( Imo East) and the Hon. Heman Hembe representing  Vandeikya/Konshisha (Benue) Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives.

A plethora of State Houses of Assembly members across the country have also defected to the Labour Party in the past one month.

Political analysts opine that the party gained huge  traction since Obi, a former Anambra State Governor joined it and emerged its Presidential candidate.