From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said the 25 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, who defected to the All Progressives Congress ( APC) cannot return to parliament.
The PDP National Chairman, Umar Damagum, who stated this, on Tuesday, at a press briefing, Abuja, said the defecting members have lost their seats and can only return to the House by seeking re-election.
The Rivers State has been engulfed in crisis recently, following a disagreement between the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory ( FCT), Nyesom Wike and the governor, Siminalayi Fubura. The crisis has led to the factionalisation of the Rivers House of Assembly.
President Bola Tinubu, had on Monday, at a meeting attended by stakeholders in Rivers State, intervened in the crisis rocking the state. Among resolutions reportedly reached at the parley, include that the defecting members should retain their seats in parliament.
However, Damagum said: ” 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.”