PDP rejects Tinubu’s settlement in Rivers, insists on fresh elections for 25 vacant Assembly seats

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has rejected the eight-point terms of agreement by President Bola Tinubu to end the feud between Rivers State Governor, Fubara Siminalayi, and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.

The warring parties had on Monday night, in a closed-door meeting at the presidential villa, Abuja, reportedly signed the terms of agreement to end the political crisis in the state.

The terms of agreement brokered by Tinubu include: “Impeachment moves against Fubara should be dropped; all matters in courts by Fubara and his team should be withdrawn; G27 lawmakers who defected from the PDP to APC are back with their leader, Martin Amaewhule, recognised as speaker; Governor Fubara to represent 2024 budget to Assembly; Remunerations, benefits of all lawmakers reinstated; House to choose where to sit; Names of commissioners who resigned to be re-submitted to House; and dissolution of LG administrations are nullified.”

The PDP National Working Committee after an emergency meeting in Abuja on Tuesday maintained that the 27 lawmakers loyal to Wike who defected, in an attempt to impeach Fubara have lost their seats, and that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), should conduct fresh election to fill the seats.

Recall that two of the 27 lawmakers had returned to the party before the Ebison Ehie-led four-man House of Assembly declared their seats vacant.

The Acting National Chairman of the PDP, Amb. Umar Damagum, who spoke to newsmen after the emergency meeting advised the “25 former members” of the party to prepare for fresh polls if they were still interested in returning to the legislature because there “is no remedy for them.”

“The PDP asserts that there is no remedy for the 25 former members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, who by virtue of Section 109 (1)(g) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) vacated and lost their seats by reason of defection from the PDP, the party platform upon which they were elected into the House of Assembly.

“Our party insists that having now vacated and lost their seats, the only option available for the former lawmakers, if they wish to return to the House of Assembly, is to seek fresh nomination and re-election on the platform of any political party of their choice in line with the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and the Electoral Act, 2022.

“The 25 former Rivers lawmakers freely and without any cause vacated their seats, being fully aware of the consequences of defection from the party upon which they were elected into the Rivers State House of Assembly without the conditions stipulated by the 1999 Constitution.

“For the avoidance of doubt, there is no division in the PDP at the national or any other level for that matter to justify the defection of the 25 former members of the Rivers State House of Assembly from the party.

“They, therefore, vacated their seats for reasons best known to them and cannot return to the House of Assembly without passing through a fresh electoral process in accordance with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and the Electoral Act, 2022.

READ ALSO: ‘Don’t pull down the ladder you used in climbing’, Wike tells Fubara in veiled message

“Moreover, the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Ehie Edison, officially declared the seat of the defected now former members vacant in line with Section 109 (1)(g) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

“The Rivers State House of Assembly, having become Functus Officio on the matter, cannot re-admit the former lawmakers unless through the channel of a fresh election.

“Our party, therefore, counsels the former members of the Rivers State House of Assembly not to be deceived by anybody giving them the false hope and impracticable assurances in Abuja that they can return to the Rivers State House of Assembly without a fresh election or that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, can be stopped from conducting fresh election into the 25 Rivers State Constituencies where vacancies have occurred by reason of their defection.

“For emphasis, Section 84 (15) of the Electoral Act, 2022 is clear in providing that no courts have powers to stop INEC from conducting elections wherever and whenever a vacancy occurs in any electoral constituency.

“The PDP demands that INEC should, in line with Section 109 (1) (g) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and Section 84 (15) of the Electoral Act, 2022, fix a date for the conduct of fresh election into the 25 State Constituencies in Rivers State, where vacancies have occurred by reason of the defection of the now former members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, pending the determination of any suit in any court.

“The national leadership of the PDP charges all members of our great party in Rivers State to remain united and resolute in the defence of Constitutional democracy and Rule of Law in Rivers State,” Damagum said.

Fubara and Wike had been in a running battle for who will control the political structure in the state.

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