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The 27 lawmakers of the Rivers State House of Assembly, elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) but have defected to the All Progressive Party (APC), have been admonished to respectfully vacate their offices.
According to Mr. Uche Harris Okonkwo, member representing Idemili North and South Federal Constituency of Anambra State, the 27 Rivers lawmakers who have ditched the party under which they were elected, should pursue their new love in APC as ordinary members of the party.
“The poor script emanating from the defected former Rivers State Assembly members is a grievous new level of assault on the integrity of our democracy and operational sanctity of our constitution,” he told newsmen yesterday.
“Let’s be clear about this, I am neither a member of the PDP nor the APC, so I can’t be beneficiary or loser in this dog fight for supremacy in Rivers State, but as a lawmaker just as they were before defection, I feel personally scandalised that the solemn institution of the legislature is being so defaced and abused, in a manner close to the gutter of impunity. The intent of the law is always clear from the letters of it, and never endorsed that less than a year of swearing an oath to defend the Constitution as members of the hallowed legislature of your state, you can carry the trophy of the party that gave you their ticket to donate to another party arbitrarily and selfishly, without consequences.
“Honour should have supremacy over bravado, and politicians should stop increasing the poverty of honour in the corridors of politics and leadership, if we truly wish this country well. Therefore, my simple reading of it is that If those legislators suddenly became so lovestruck by APC attraction, so be it. But certainly not with what belonged to another. That victory was for PDP not APC, and it’s amazing how so much drama is being invested to polish a bad conduct that ordinarily should be scorned.”
Okonkwo added: “Just the other day too, I heard that about five Labour Party legislators stealthily defected to the PDP, as part of a desperate trade off to donate Majority House to the governor and his party, PDP. “That is how easily bad conduct spreads. Leaders should be careful before citizens are fed up, because the excessive executive manipulation of situations which most times, lacks no art nor sense, is a tragic slur in our current longest democracy experience that has enjoyed twenty five unbroken reign. That’s a real dark alley in our body politics, which we should all unite by conversion or practice, to clean, rinse and shine. If we ever hope to earn and appreciate what we profess and aspire to, respect to our constitution and obedience to the rule of law is not negotiable.”
