26 Rivers State House Of Assembly Members Who Defected To APC Lost Seats
The political crisis in Rivers State has taken a new turn as 27 members of the state House of Assembly have defected from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC).
The defectors, who are loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and former governor of the state, Nyesom Wike, announced their decision at the plenary on Friday, citing division and lack of internal democracy in the PDP as their reasons.
The PDP, however, has rejected the defection and called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct fresh elections in the 27 state constituencies, claiming that the lawmakers have vacated their seats by virtue of Section 109 (1) (g) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).
The National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Hon. Debo Ologunagba, in a statement, said the party would not allow the APC to hijack the state legislature through illegal means and urged the lawmakers to stop parading themselves as members of the House of Assembly or face legal consequences.
The PDP National Legal Adviser, Adeyemi Ajibade, SAN, also reiterated the party’s position on the constitutional implications of the defection, saying that the PDP was standing on the side of the law and not on any agreement.
He said the party was not against the intervention of President Bola Tinubu, who is reportedly mediating in the dispute between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and Minister Nyesom Wike, but insisted that the constitution must be respected and upheld by all parties.
The defection of the 27 lawmakers has left the PDP with only five members in the 32-member House of Assembly, giving the APC a clear majority and a potential control of the state’s affairs.
