The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has officially notified the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of the 25 vacant seats in the Rivers House of Assembly.
This comes in the wake of 27 lawmakers, purportedly aligned with the immediate past governor, Nyesom Wike, defecting from the PDP to join the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Monday. However, reports indicate that two of these lawmakers have returned to the PDP.
Promptly after the defection, the PDP called on Edison Ehie, the Speaker of the Rivers assembly, to declare the vacated seats immediately. In a statement released by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party, they urged INEC to organize elections in the constituencies affected by the lawmakers’ departure.
The PDP’s request is based on the constitutional provisions of section 109 (1), which outlines the grounds for a lawmaker to lose their seat in the parliament.
Following a meeting on Wednesday, the PDP’s NWC thoroughly reviewed the situation in Rivers and arrived at several resolutions concerning the vacant seats in the state assembly.
“That the Party communicates to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by formally informing the Commission of the vacancies in the Rivers State House of Assembly as a result of the defection of the 25 now former members, who by virtue of Section 109 (1)(g) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) vacated their seats by their action,” the statement reads.
“That the Party officially demand that INEC should within the Constitutionally stipulated time, conduct fresh election in the 25 State Constituencies in Rivers State where vacancies now exist in the Rivers State House of Assembly as a result of the defection of the 25 now former members.
“Direct the National Legal Adviser to commence appropriate legal action with respect to the declaration of the seats of the 25 defected former members vacant and the conduct of fresh election into the 25 State Constituencies in Rivers State in accordance with the provision of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).”
According to the PDP, “every step necessary available in a democracy to ensure that the votes and mandate of the people of the 25 State Constituencies in Rivers State are protected and not appropriated under any circumstance whatsoever”.