Sen. Ireti Kingibe dumps Labour Party for ADC, cites factional crisis

The Senator representing the Federal Capital Territory, Ireti Kingibe, has officially announced her departure from the Labour Party, confirming her defection to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Speaking to journalists in Abuja on Friday, Kingibe described the move as a deliberate and strategic decision aimed at aligning with a party whose values resonate with her political vision.

According to her, plans are already in motion for a formal induction into her new party, promising that the event will be marked with celebration and fanfare. “I’m totally and completely committed to ADC. 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 said.

The senator expressed confidence in the leadership of the ADC, acknowledging that while the party is still developing, it holds the potential for growth and national relevance. “It’s something that is evolving. 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,” she noted.

Addressing concerns about possibly losing her Senate seat due to the defection, Kingibe argued that the internal crisis currently rocking the Labour Party offers constitutional grounds for her move. She cited the existence of two clear factions within the party, which she said has made it impossible to remain under such a divided platform.

“I ask you to please read the constitution. There are two factions — clear factions — of Labour Party. The perfect definition that the constitution gives for somebody to decamp without penalty applies in this case,” she stated.

She also recalled that even the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had received two conflicting lists of results and candidates from the Labour Party during elections, further validating the depth of the division within the party. “Even INEC got two sets of results and candidates, though they didn’t accept any. So if you ask me to stay in Labour Party, which faction do you want me to stay in?” Kingibe asked.

Maintaining that her defection is within constitutional limits, Kingibe insisted that her decision was both lawful and founded on democratic principles.

“If there were not two distinct factions of Labour Party, I would not presume to decamp, because that is unconstitutional. 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,” she added.