The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has taken a firm stance, demanding that the 27 state legislators who defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers should vacate their seats and pursue fresh elections. This ultimatum was revealed by PDP’s acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, following the party’s National Working Committee’s emergency meeting on political developments in Rivers.
According to Damagum, the lawmakers have forfeited their seats by virtue of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution. He stressed that the only viable recourse for the defectors is to seek fresh nomination and re-election under the banner of their chosen political parties.
Highlighting the absence of any justifiable division within the PDP at the national or state level to warrant the lawmakers’ defection, Damagum emphasized that they cannot simply return to the House of Assembly without undergoing fresh elections in compliance with the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Act (2022). Additionally, he underscored that the Speaker of Rivers House of Assembly, Hon. Ehie Edison, has formally declared the seats of the defected members as vacant in accordance with the Constitution.
Furthermore, Damagum emphasized that the Rivers House of Assembly, having fulfilled its duty in the matter, cannot reinstate the former lawmakers without a fresh election. Emphasizing the Electoral Act (2022), he reiterated that no court holds the authority to prevent the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from conducting elections in any electoral constituency where a vacancy exists.
The PDP’s acting National Chairman urged INEC to promptly schedule fresh elections in the constituencies of the defectors. He also rallied PDP members in Rivers to stand united in upholding Constitutional democracy and the Rule of Law. Moreover, Damagum acknowledged that numerous members had worked against the PDP during the 2023 general elections.
The 27 lawmakers had defected to the APC on December 11, citing division within the PDP in the state as their reason for the move.
