PDP insists INEC must declare 27 Rivers lawmakers’ seats vacant

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Thursday insisted that the 27 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly who defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) were no longer lawmakers in the state.

The PDP National Legal Adviser, Adeyemi Ajibade (SAN), told journalists shortly after Justice Donatus Okorowo of the Federal High Court, Abuja, extended the order restraining the party and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from taking action against the lawmakers.

He also adjourned the suit till January 24, 2024.

The party had earlier this month asked INEC to declare the lawmakers’ seats vacant following their defection to the APC.

The PDP also charged the commission to conduct a fresh election into the constituencies.

In his remark, Ajibade said though President Bola Tinubu had intervened in the dispute between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, the party stood on what the constitution says on defection.

He said: “PDP as a party, we are standing on the side of the constitution of the country.

“It is not about issues of an agreement because by the constitution, we all sworn to uphold.

“The governor himself sworn to uphold the constitution likewise the president.

READ ALSO: 27 Rivers lawmakers: Court extends order against INEC, PDP

“I am not against the president calling for the resolution of the matter. He is the chief security officer of this country and he has every right to intervene in the issue.

“But besides that, we, as a political party, the PDP own those seats and certainly we are interested in those seats.

“Whatever the governor is doing in this matter is immaterial because no resolution has been brought to Wadata Plaza on this matter.

“But as a political party, we cannot leave the seats and the votes willingly given to the party by people of Rivers State.”

He pointed out that Section 109 (1g) of the 1999 Constitution was very clear on the issue of detection.

The PDP legal adviser argued that the affected lawmakers had not denied their defection to APC.

“Even if you pick the writ of summon that was filed before this court, they said they defected.

“So they are only stating while they defected, that they have the right to defect based on the reasons given by them.

“So it is not an issue as to whether there was a defection or not and we cannot fold our hands. So we to recover our seats,” he added.

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