The People’s Democratic Party’s National Working Committee (NWC) recently made a decisive stance on the defection of 25 lawmakers from the Rivers State House of Assembly to the APC. The PDP vehemently rejected any hope of the former members retaining their seats, stating that fresh elections are the sole recourse.
According to the PDP, the constitutional provision (Section 109 (1)(g)) is clear: by defecting from the party under whose banner they were elected, these lawmakers have forfeited their seats. The only path for their potential return, as per the Party, is through seeking re-election via any political party, adhering to the Constitution and the Electoral Act of 2022.
Addressing the issue, Amb. Umar Iliya Damagum, the Acting National Chairman, emphasized that there’s no internal division within the PDP at any level justifying the defection. The Party affirms that the former lawmakers willingly vacated their positions without meeting the constitutional conditions for defection.
The declaration of vacancies by the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, in alignment with constitutional provisions, further solidifies the PDP’s stance. As the Assembly is now Functus Officio on this matter, the former lawmakers can only return through a fresh electoral process.
Moreover, the PDP has urged the defected members not to be misled by false assurances suggesting a return without a fresh election or any attempts to stop INEC from conducting new elections, citing Section 84 (15) of the Electoral Act, 2022, which explicitly bars courts from halting elections due to vacancies.
In light of these developments, the PDP has called upon INEC to set a date for fresh elections in the 25 constituencies affected by these defections, while also rallying its members in Rivers State to stand united in upholding constitutional democracy and the rule of law in the state.
