Rivers crisis: PDP writes INEC, wants seats of its 25 members who defect to APC declared vacant

***Urges Legal Adviser to swing into action

By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has formally witten to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, demanding that it (the commission) should, within the constitutionally stipulated time, conduct fresh election in the 25 State Constituencies in Rivers State where vacancies now exist in the Rivers State House of Assembly as a result of the defection of twenty (25) members from the party to the All Progressives Congress, APC.
This was part of the resolution of the National Working Committee, NWC, of the PDP on the defection of the 25 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly from PDP to the APC, which was convened to Journalists yesterday in a statement signed by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Hon Debo Ologunagba,
The national leadership of the PDP has equally directed it’s National Legal Adviser to commence appropriate legal action with respect to the declaration of the seats of the 25 defected members vacant and the conduct of fresh election into the 25 State Constituencies in Rivers State in accordance with the provision of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).
The PDP vowed that it will take every step necessary and available in a democracy to ensure that the votes and mandate of the people of the 25 State Constituencies in Rivers State are protected and not appropriated under any circumstance whatsoever.
The statement by Ologunagba reads, “The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at its 580th meeting on Wednesday, December 13, 2023 thoroughly reviewed the state of the Party in Rivers State, particularly with regard to the defection of 25 now former members of the Rivers State House of Assembly from the PDP, the political platform upon which they were elected into the House, and resolved as follows;
*That the Party communicates to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by formally informing the Commission of the vacancies in the Rivers State House of Assembly as a result of the defection of the 25 now former members, who by virtue of Section 109 (1)(g) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) vacated their seats by their action.
*That the Party officially demand that INEC should within the Constitutionally stipulated time, conduct fresh election in the 25 State Constituencies in Rivers State where vacancies now exist in the Rivers State House of Assembly as a result of the defection of the 25 now former members.
*Direct the National Legal Adviser to commence appropriate legal action with respect to the declaration of the seats of the 25 defected former members vacant and the conduct of fresh election into the 25 State Constituencies in Rivers State in accordance with the provision of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).
*That the PDP will take every step necessary and available in a democracy to ensure that the votes and mandate of the people of the 25 State Constituencies in Rivers State are protected and not appropriated under any circumstance whatsoever.