PDP insists defected lawmakers to APC must vacate seats in Rivers

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) @OfficialPDPNig has insisted that the lawmakers in the Rivers State House of Assembly who defected from the PDP to the All Progressives Congress (APC) must vacate their seats in the state legislature.

The PDP, in a statement by the National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba,@OfficialAPCNg affirmed that the party’s stand on former Rivers lawmakers is sacrosanct, maintaining that the party is not under any pressure to compromise its position in court.

Crisis-ridden Rivers State House of Assembly

According to the National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, “the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) @OfficialPDPNig declares that nothing will make it change its position on the vacation of seats by former members of the Rivers State House of Assembly who defected from the PDP to the All Progressives Congress (APC).”

The Party also clarified that it is not under pressure from any quarters to compromise its position in Court wherein it had already clearly stated that the former Rivers State lawmakers are no longer members of the Rivers State House of Assembly from December 11, 2023, when they publicly announced their defection from the PDP to the APC.

Ologunagba emphasized: “This clarification is a refute of a mischievous report in a section of the social media falsely claiming that there are plots to compromise the Party’s position and provide an unattainable lifeline to the former members of the Rivers State House of Assembly to return to their seats which they have constitutionally vacated.

“Our party, therefore, stands by its position that the affected members have since lost their seats in the Rivers State House of Assembly, having arrogantly committed an unpardonable constitutional breach.”

He asserted: for the avoidance of doubt, the PDP in its Counter Claim by its National Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade SAN, in Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/1681/2023 filed at the Federal High Court, Abuja, stated clearly that the former Rivers State lawmakers “are no longer members of the Rivers State House of Assembly from December 11, 2023 when they publicly announced their defection from the PDP to the APC”.

For emphasis the PDP in the said Suit seeks among others the following Declaration/Orders against the former Rivers State lawmakers.

•A Declaration that by provisions of Section 109 (1)(g) of the Constitution of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), the seats of the plaintiffs have been vacant since 11th December 2023 when the plaintiffs announced their defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

•A Declaration that the plaintiffs are no longer members of the Rivers State House of Assembly having defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) on 11th December 2023.

•An Order directing the first defendant (INEC) to conduct bye-elections in the respective constituencies of the plaintiffs in compliance with the provisions of the laws.

•An Order of perpetual injunction restraining the plaintiffs from parading themselves and/or further parading themselves or from performing or further performing the functions and duties of members of Rivers State House of Assembly…

Happily, there are plethora of Judicial decisions from the highest court in our country in support of the position taken by our Party, Ologunagba summed up.