The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has officially requested the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct fresh elections to fill the vacant positions left by the twenty-seven lawmakers who defected from the Rivers State House of Assembly to the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Monday.
This request was communicated in a press statement signed by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba.
The defection of the lawmakers, who cited division within the PDP as their primary reason for joining the APC, has triggered the call for by-elections to replace the vacant positions.
RoyalTimes gathered that the lawmakers in question are loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and their departure has created a political vacuum that the PDP seeks to address through the democratic process.
According to Ologunagba, the seats of the defected lawmakers are now considered vacant, given that they initially contested and won elections under the PDP banner in their respective constituencies.
Citing the country’s constitution, he said, “The seats of the respective 27 former lawmakers have become vacant by virtue of the provision of Section 109 (1) (g) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).
“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…’
“Because of the above constitutional provision and its clear interpretation by the Supreme Court, the 27 defected members of the Rivers State House of Assembly have vacated and lost their seats, rights, privileges, recognition, and obligations accruable to members of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
“The PDP, therefore, demands that the Speaker of the Rivers State House Assembly immediately comply with the provision of the Constitution by declaring the seats of the 27 former lawmakers vacant.”
Join our twitter community :