The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has written to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) demanding for the conduct bye-election to fill the 27 Assembly seats, whose members left the PDP for the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Rivers State.
The 27 lawmakers had addressed a press conference during which they announced their defection from the PDP to APC.
The letter was signed by the PDP Acting National Chairman, Amb. Umar Damagum.
The letter was titled: ‘Demand For Immediate Conduct of Fresh Elections in 27 State Constituencies of Rivers State Which Have Become Vacant Pursuant To Section 109 (1)(g) Of The Constitution’.
In the letter dated November 13, 2024, Damagum highlighted the unlawful defection of the 27 lawmakers to the APC on December 11, 2023.
He stated that, according to constitutional provisions, their defection had caused them to forfeit both their membership of the PDP and their legislative seats.
The letter read in part, “The Leadership of our great party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), wishes to draw the attention of the Commission to the gross violation of Section 109 (1)(g) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) by 27 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly following their unlawful defection from our Party, the PDP, to the All Progressive Congress (APC) on Monday, December 11, 2023.”
The PDP stated that it nominated all 32 State House of Assembly candidates in Rivers for the 2023 general election, winning the 32 seats.
It noted that six months after their inauguration in June 2023, 27 of the lawmakers defected to APC, violating Section 109(1)(g) of the Constitution, which prohibits such defections unless they occur under specific conditions of division or merger, “neither of which applied in this case”.
The PDP, therefore, said INEC should fulfill its constitutional duties and initiate the process for conducting fresh elections to fill the vacancies created by the defections.
The letter also included a list of the 27 lawmakers and their constituencies, and urged INEC to act swiftly in addressing the issue.
