THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said it would write the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to demand fresh elections to replace its 27 members in the Rivers State House of Assembly who defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Monday, December 11, 2023.
The 27 lawmakers also threatened to reject the requests of Governor,Siminalayi Fubara for approval.
The affected lawmakers, in letters written to the Speaker, Martin Amaewhule, and read on the floor of the House, based their decision on alleged division in the party regarding the tussle for the position of the national secretary of the PDP, which had made communications channels difficult.
Prior to last governorship election in the state, the then governor of the state, Nyesom Wike, had reportedly bought forms for dozens of PDP stalwarts, including Fubara, who finally emerged the party’s candidate and went ahead to win the election.
Crack in the relationship between Fubara and Wike emerged in October, when lawmakers loyal to Wike moved to impeach the governor, leading to the torching of a section of the House of Assembly complex.
The moves to impeach Fubara led to a division in the House, with Amaewhule leading the majority and House Leader, Edison Ehie, leading another faction.
But reacting to the defection of the lawmakers, PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, said the party would explore all options to reclaim its seats in the Assembly.
Ologunagba, while describing PDP as a law-abiding party, said: “We will write to INEC tomorrow (Tuesday) to make our position known.”
When asked what the party would do if INEC failed to grant its request, he stated: “You cannot pre-empt our steps and our party. We know the law and we understand it. We will take a state at a time.
“What I can assure you is that the PDP will explore all options.”
Earlier in a statement, Ologunagba declared that by defecting from the PDP, the seats of the 27 lawmakers had become vacant by virtue of the provision of Section 109 (1) (g) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
He stressed: “For the avoidance of doubt, Section 109 (1) of the 1999 Constitution provides that ‘a member of a House of Assembly shall vacate his seat in the House if … (g) being a person whose election to the House of Assembly was sponsored by a political Party, he becomes a member of another political party before the expiration of the period for which that House was elected.”
He added that in the interpretation by the Supreme Court, the 27 defected members had vacated and lost their seats, rights, privileges, recognition and obligations accruable to members of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
However, APC has hailed the defection of 27 members of the 32-member Assembly from the PDP in the state, describing it as a welcome development.
Its National Director of Publicity, Bala Ibrahim, attributed the move to the open door policy of the National Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, and the wind of political revolution going on in Rivers.
He said: “This is a state affair, but at the national level, we are watching. Since the arrival of Ganduje, he has made it clear to everyone who cares to listen that he is coming on board with an open-door policy.
“It is also his ambition to widen the scope of the APC in a way and manner that will make room for new entrants and consolidate the settlement of the old one.
“So what is happening in Rivers State, I believe, is a kind of acceptance or appreciation of the offer put forward by the national chairman. I also think it will mark the beginning of a better thing to come to the party.
“This is a state affair. Whatever may be the reason for the defection, the APC as a progressive party will welcome new entrants, provided they are coming to add value to the development of democracy in Nigeria.”
