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- A former PDP lawmaker, Enemi Alabo, has revealed why 27 members of the Rivers state house of assembly defected to the PDP
- Alabo said the internal division in the PDP and ongoing legal disputes related to the party’s secretaryship
- He said Section 109 of the constitution allows the lawmakers to defect to another party in the presence of a perceived division.
Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over 5 years of experience covering metro and government policy
Port Harcourt, Rivers state – A member of the Rivers state house of assembly, Enemi Alabo, has explained why he and the other 26 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmakers defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Alabo said internal divisions within the PDP is the primary reason why the lawmakers defected to the APC.
Photo Credit: @OfficialPDPNig
Source: Twitter
He stated this while speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, December 11.
He lamented over his inability to establish communication with the PDP secretariat because of the ongoing legal disputes related to the party’s secretaryship.
The lawmaker also pointed to the burning of the Rivers Assembly chambers and the intimidation suffered by members.
Alabo explained that the lawmakers collectively decided to defect to the APC due to the challenges mentioned.
He cited Section 109 of the constitution, which allows for a party switch in the presence of a perceived division.
“We have a division in the PDP. We have cases in court concerning the secretaryship of our party. We desperately tried to reach the secretariat of our party, and we could not. As I speak to you, I can’t tell you who the secretary of my party is,”
“If I can’t even have correspondence with my party, then what am I talking about? We’ve been in the eye of the storm for a few weeks now and since then, there has been no communication from my party at the national level. What kind of party is that?”
Alabo added that:
“Rivers State has been in the news. The House of Assembly has been grappling [with issues]; we’ve been bullied; we’ve been suppressed and repressed.
“Our chambers were burned down, and our members are being intimidated. The official residence of Mr. Speaker was brutally attacked by hired thugs.
“As I speak, there is no communication from the party that I called my party. And so, 27 members came together and we said to ourselves that we could not continue like this.”
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.
PDP urges INEC to conduct fresh elections in 27 Rivers constituencies
PDP has reacted to the defection of 27 lawmakers in the Rivers House of Assembly to the APC
The PDP called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately commence the process of conducting fresh elections in the 27 constituencies.
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.
Source: Legit.ng
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