The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a fresh election to replace 25 former members of the Rivers State House of Assembly whose seats were declared vacant.

Umar Iliya Damagum PDP’s acting National Chairman said this after the National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP had an Emergency Meeting on the Political Developments in Rivers State.

Damagum in a statement said the 25 members can seek fresh nomination and re-election on the platform of any political party of their choice.

He said this is in line with the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and the Electoral Act, 2022.

Lawmakers believed to be loyal to Nyesom Wike, the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), last week left the PDP to join the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The lawmakers said division within the PDP is the reason why they decided to join the ruling party.

The defection of the lawmakers is suspected to be connected to the rift between Rivers State governor Siminalayi Fubara, and Wike, his predecessor, over control of the political structure in the state.

Damagum said the 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,” Damagum said.

“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.”

The PDP acting National Chairman stated that the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly Edison Ehie officially declared the seat of the defected now former members vacant in line with Section 109 (1)(g) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

He stressed that 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.

Damagum advised the former members not to be deceived by anybody giving them the false hope in Abuja that they can return to the Rivers State House of Assembly without a fresh election.
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