25 Rivers lawmakers don’t need physical structure to perform legislative duties – APC

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State has declared that the 25 members of the State House of Assembly that dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) can still carry out their legislative duties without the Assembly complex.

The Chairman of the APC caretaker committee in the state, Chief Tony Okocha, stated this when he led a delegation to the party’s national secretariat in Abuja on Thursday.

He told journalists that the lawmakers do not need a physical structure to perform their duties as long as the mace was present in their midst.

Recall that the 27 lawmakers loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, switched from the PDP to the APC on Monday.

However, two of the defectors have since returned to the PDP.

A faction of the Assembly loyal to the state governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has since declared their seats vacant.

Fubara ordered the demolition of the complex on Tuesday morning.

The PDP National Working Committee (NWC) had also asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct fresh elections in the constituencies.

Okocha, a Wike’s ally, also justified the defection of the lawmakers, stressing that their action was not an aberration.

READ ALSO: 27 Rivers Assembly members loyal to Wike dump PDP for APC

He said: “The House of Assembly can be moved to anywhere. It is not necessarily down to a building. Provided the mace is present there, members can sit anywhere. As of this morning, the 25 lawmakers met and even signed some resolutions.

“Even when the building was burnt, the governor never bothered to set up a panel or committee to investigate. Apparently, we know he was the mastermind.

“Yesterday (Wednesday), the government brought it down to prove fait accompli to the members who defected. But we as a party have said we will fight illegalities and not allow anybody to hound any lawmaker.

“We are here to tell the world that we stand with them. What they did is not an aberration. Defection is not new. In 2014, the PDP was run aground and the members left in droves to the opposing party.

“The PDP in Rivers has imploded and we are benefiting from the reward. We are telling the governor he cannot thrive on illegalities. I have given instruction to the legal adviser to petition the NJC to report the judge for delivering that ‘Jankara’ judgment.

“I will be reluctant to answer that (attempt to impeach Fubara) because I am not a member of the House of Assembly. Again, impeachment is typical of a democratic process. The much I know is that we haven’t got to that stage.

“It is just the crude manner the government adopted we will fight. There are provisions in the constitution, which provide reasons people can leave a party. Are you not aware that it was their indiscretion that led to members leaving?

“But having four members who sat is an error and illegal. We as a political party will fight all illegalities by the governor. I have wooed Wike publicly before when we were doing Renewed Hope to come to Macedonia and help us.

“In 2023, because he refused to work with the PDP presidential candidate, APC won. Yesterday, I reiterated our plea for him to come and he will become the leader of the party. But what is happening in Rivers is that Fubara has left governance completely and beginning to chase shadows.”

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