- The defected lawmakers are loyal to Nyesom Wike, the immediate past governor of Rivers and the current minister of the federal capital territory (FCT).
- The crisis in the Rivers house of assembly is attributed to the power struggle between Fubara and Wike.
The acting chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Umar Damagum, has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a bye-election to fill vacant seats in the Rivers state house of assembly.
Damagum’s request, dated December 12, 2023, was addressed to INEC chairman Mahmood Yakubu, and the electoral body acknowledged receipt on November 13, 2024.
It’s unclear why the party did not make the letter public ever since it was written.
Damagum described the lawmakers’ defection as a “gross violation” of section 109 (1)(g) of the 1999 Constitution.
“In view of the foregoing, we hereby demand that the commission perform its constitutional duties and begin the process of conducting a fresh election to fill the vacancies created in the 27 state constituencies by the unlawful act of the assembly members,” the letter reads.
The crisis in the Rivers house of assembly stems from the power struggle between Fubara and Wike, with Damagum allied with Nyesom Wike.
In October 2023, Ehie Edison, a loyalist of Rivers governor Siminalayi Fubara, became speaker of the factional assembly after his removal as house leader by lawmakers led by Martin Amaewhule.
On December 11, 27 lawmakers defected from the PDP to the All Progressives Congress (APC), led by Amaewhule and loyal to Nyesom Wike, the immediate past governor of Rivers.
Edison declared the lawmakers’ seats vacant on December 12, but later resigned to become chief of staff to the governor.
The affected lawmakers sought a court order to prevent their replacement, but a high court in Abuja dismissed the suit in September.
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