The seats of the 27 House members who recently defected to the state’s opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) were declared empty by the Rivers State House of Assembly on Wednesday.
27 legislators who support Nyesom Wike, the former governor of the state and current minister of the federal capital, switched from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives (APC) on Monday.
This follows the protracted political standoff between Sim Fubara, the governor in office, and Nyesom Wike, his predecessor.
However, the four-member Assembly, loyal to the state governor and led by the factional Speaker, Edison Ehie, claimed on Wednesday that the decision to declare the seats vacant was in accordance with Section 109 (1) (g) and 2 of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended.
However, after reading the names of the impacted members, the Speaker urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to hold a new election within the legally mandated window of time.
“Distinguished colleagues, the House intends to hold a new election to fill the aforementioned vacancies and will duly notify the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of the vacancies in the Rivers State House of Assembly,” Ehie said.
