No fewer than 27 members of the House of Assembly claimed to be loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and the state’s immediate governor, Nyesom Wike, had defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The MPs declared their defection during the plenary session, citing divisions inside the PDP as the basis for their decision.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has requested that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) promptly begin the process of conducting fresh elections in Rivers State’s 27 state seats due to defections by their lawmakers.
In a statement, the PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Hon. Debo Ologunagba, said the request for elections was prompted by the vacancies created when state lawmakers willingly abandoned their positions by defecting to the APC.
The party argued that by defecting from the PDP to the APC, the seats of the 27 former MPs had become vacant under Section 109 (1) (g) of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Constitution, 1999 (as amended).
The PDP encouraged the lawmakers to quit posing as members of the Rivers State House of Assembly since doing so would constitute to impersonation, which could result in criminal charges.
Adeyemi Ajibade, SAN, the PDP’s National Legal Adviser, told journalists on Thursday that while President Bola Tinubu may have waded into the argument between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, the party stayed firm on what the constitution states about defection.
“PDP as a party, we are standing on the side of the country’s constitution,” Ajibade remarked to reporters immediately after Justice Donatus Okorowo of a Federal High Court in Abuja delayed the beleaguered legislators’ action until January 24, 2024.It is not about problems of agreement because we have all pledged to preserve the constitution.
The governor has vowed to respect the constitution, as has the president; I am not against the president, but I am advocating for a resolution to the situation. He is the country’s leading security officer, and he has every right to act in this matter.”
Odey Otunu
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