The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) remains unwavering in its stance on the 25 Rivers State Assembly lawmakers who defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC), declaring that there is no turning back.
Following an emergency meeting of its National Working Committee (NWC), the PDP insists that the only recourse for the affected lawmakers is to prepare for fresh elections, dismissing any hopes of an alternative resolution.
In a statement signed by its Acting National Chairman, Umar Iliya Damagum, the PDP cites Section 109 (1)(g) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), asserting that the legislators forfeited their seats due to defection from the PDP—the platform on which they were elected into the House of Assembly.
This declaration comes in contrast to the reconciliatory efforts led by President Bola Tinubu, where the resolution included allowing the defectors to return to the Assembly. The PDP, however, remains resolute, emphasizing that the sole option for the defected lawmakers to regain their seats is to seek fresh nomination and re-election from any political party.
The PDP dismisses claims of a crisis or division within its Rivers State chapter, asserting that the defectors stand alone in their decision. The statement warns the lawmakers not to harbor false hopes of a return to the House, especially after the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Ehie O. Edison, officially declared their seats vacant in accordance with the constitution.
Damagum’s statement underscores, “The 25 former Rivers lawmakers freely and without any cause vacated their seats, being fully aware of the consequences of defection from the Party upon which they were elected into the Rivers State House of Assembly without the conditions stipulated by the 1999 Constitution.”
In conclusion, the PDP calls on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to schedule fresh elections in the 25 Rivers State Constituencies where vacancies have arisen due to the lawmakers’ defection, reaffirming its commitment to upholding constitutional democracy and the rule of law in Rivers State.
