LAGOS,— Mrs Foluke Stella Osafile, a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly representing Amuwo-Odofin Constituency I, has defected from the Labour Party (LP) to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), marking a fresh shift in the state’s slim opposition presence in the 40-member legislature.
Osafile, who chairs the Assembly’s House Committee on Wealth Creation, confirmed the move to journalists on Saturday, saying her decision was driven by the need to better serve residents of her constituency.
“Yes, it is true. I have defected to the ADC,” she said, pledging to work with ADC leaders and stakeholders to pursue “good governance and effective representation.” In a message to her constituents, she said their trust remained her “guiding principle,” adding that the defection was intended to “secure a brighter future” for Amuwo-Odofin Constituency I.
BusinessDay reported that Osafile is expected to formally announce her defection on the floor of the House during plenary in the coming days.
The development carries additional political weight because Osafile emerged from the 2023 elections as one of Labour Party’s rare breakthroughs in Lagos State. She won her seat in Amuwo-Odofin Constituency I after defeating the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Folorunso Olaitan Segun, before the victory became the subject of post-election litigation.
In September 2023, an election petition tribunal sacked Osafile, declaring the APC candidate winner, but she publicly vowed to appeal at the time. Her seat was later restored at the appellate level, with multiple reports noting that she successfully reclaimed her mandate at the Court of Appeal, bringing that legal contest to an end.
Osafile’s switch also comes against the backdrop of Labour Party’s shrinking legislative footprint in Lagos. In December 2023, the Court of Appeal’s decision in the Amuwo-Odofin Constituency II dispute led to INEC withdrawing Labour Party’s certificate of return from Olukayode Doherty and issuing a fresh one to APC’s Rauf Age-Suleiman, who was subsequently sworn in—leaving Osafile as Labour’s sole remaining lawmaker in the Assembly until her exit.
