Edison Ehie, speaker of the Rivers house of assembly, has
declared the seats of the lawmakers who defected vacant.
On Monday, 27 lawmakers said to be loyal to Nyesom Wike, the
immediate past governor of the state, left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
for the All Progressives Congress (APC).
During plenary on Wednesday in an undisclosed location, with
only lawmakers loyal to the governor in attendance, Ehie declared the seats of
the defectors vacant.
Siminalayi Fubara, governor of the state, reportedly
presented the N800 billion 2024 budget estimate to the Ehie-led group at the
government house.
The PDP had asked the Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC) to declare the seats vacant.
The National Democratic Coalition (NDC), a non-partisan
political group, had also called on INEC to conduct bye-elections to fill the
seats of the affected lawmakers.
Daniel Okwa, the group’s convener, said the legislators were
ill-advised because their actions contravened the provisions of the
constitution.
“The 27 controversial
lawmakers must simply comply with the position of the law by vacating the
Rivers state house of assembly having breached section 109 (g) of the
constitution that brought them into office,” the group said.
“Under the law, these lawmakers cease to be elected
representatives of the people and their offices must be declared vacant.
“We find it most unfortunate that the 27 former Rivers state
house of assembly members were misinformed and misled into defecting from the
PDP to the APC without realizing that their action effectively means they have
vacated their seats as elected lawmakers.
“It is an action that they have themselves to blame for.”
The state government commenced the demolition of the
assembly complex on Wednesday.
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