Rivers Crisis: INEC has received a letter from Ehie concerning vacancies in the State Assembly

The Independent National Electoral Commission, or INEC, has been officially notified of the vacancies in the Rivers State House of Assembly by Speaker Rt. Hon. Edison Ehie.

This comes after the seats of Rt Hon. Martin Amaewhule and 24 other members were declared vacant due to their defection to the All Progressives Congress, APC.

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According to Obasanjo News24, the State Assembly vacated the seats of the 27 legislators who switched from the Peoples Democratic Party, or PDP, to the All Progressives (APC).

The declaration was made by the Speaker last Wednesday during a meeting at the makeshift venue that Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara had provided.

Ehie stressed that no dispute inside the PDP justifies a member of the House from defecting.

He added that the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 Constitution, as amended, sections 109 (1) (g) and 2 authorised the decision to declare the seats vacant.

In order to ensure that the people are fairly represented, he demanded that the INEC hold new elections to fill the open seats.