BREAKING: PDP Urges INEC to Conduct Fresh Elections Over Defection of Rivers Lawmakers To APC

• The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has declared the seats of the 27 former lawmakers who defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) vacant
• The PDP urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct fresh election in the constituencies of the defected lawmakers
• The opposition party said the Constitutional provision made it clear the defected lawmakers vacated and lost their seats

Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over 5 years of experience covering metro and government policy

Port-Harcourt, Rivers state – The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has reacted to the defection of 27 lawmakers in the Rivers House of Assembly to the All Progressives Congress (APC)

The PDP demands that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should immediately commence the process of conducting fresh elections in the 27 State Constituencies.

This is contained in a statement issued via its X page (formerly known as Twitter) @OfficialPDPNig

The main opposition said the fresh election is necessary as the seats have become vacant because of the defection of the PDP lawmakers to APC

“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…”

The PDP urged the Speaker of the Rivers State House Assembly to declare the seats of the 27 former lawmakers vacant.

According to the statement, the defected lawmaker have “vacated and lost their seats, rights, privileges, recognition and obligations accruable to members of the Rivers State House of Assembly.”

27 Pro-Wike lawmakers dump PDP for APC in Rivers

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that about 27 members of the Rivers state house of assembly, who are said to be loyal to the minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, have reportedly defected to the APC.

The lawmakers dumped the PDP for the APC on Monday, December 11, during the sitting of the house.

The pro-Wike legislators sat under tight security mounted at the entrance of the assembly complex along Moscow Road in Port Harcourt.

Fubara Summons emergency exco meeting over lawmakers defection

Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers state had an emergency meeting with the members of the state executive council.

The emergency meeting followed the defection of 27 members of the 32-member House of Assembly from the governing Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC)

It is gathered that the meeting is holding at the Government House in Port Harcourt, the state capital.

Source: Legit.ng