The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to schedule new elections to fill 25 vacancies in the Rivers State House of Assembly.
This call comes as 27 members, formerly with the ruling PDP, defected to the APC, intensifying the Assembly’s internal crisis on December 11, 2023.
Following President Bola Tinubu’s intervention, Governor Siminalayi Fubara inked an eight-point peace agreement on Monday with his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, aiming to resolve the political turmoil in the state.
However, during a press conference after the PDP’s emergency National Working Committee meeting, the party’s acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, advised the 25 lawmakers not to be misled by impractical assurances in Abuja regarding their potential return to the State House of Assembly without fresh elections.
Damagum referenced Section 109(1)(g) of the Constitution, emphasizing that lawmakers vacated their seats due to defection from the PDP.
He clarified that the only option for their return to the Assembly would be through seeking fresh nomination and re-election in accordance with the Constitution and the Electoral Act of 2022.
The PDP’s national chairman urged INEC to adhere to Section 109 (1) (g) of the 1999 Constitution and Section 84 (15) of the Electoral Act, 2022, by setting a date for new elections in the 25 State Constituencies in Rivers State affected by the vacancies due to the defection of former Assembly members. This should occur while any ongoing legal cases are pending resolution.