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No Remedy for Defected Rivers Lawmakers, INEC Must Conduct Fresh Election to Fill Their Seats, PDP Insists
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says there is no remedy for the 27 members of the Rivers state house of assembly who dumped the party to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The PDP was reacting to President Bola Tinubu’s intervention in the political crisis in the Niger Delta state.
On Monday, Siminalayi Fubara, governor of Rivers state, and Nyesom Wike, his predecessor and minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), agreed to end the political turmoil between them after a meeting with President Bola Tinubu.
Among the resolutions reached at the meeting, all parties to the crisis in Rivers agreed that all matters instituted in courts should be “immediately” withdrawn, while the 27 lawmakers who defected to the APC should be taken back as members of the assembly.
Speaking after an emergency meeting of the PDP national working committee (NWC), Umar Damagum, acting national chairman of the party, said the defected lawmakers can only return to the Rivers house of assembly through an election.
Citing section 109 (1g) of the constitution, Damagum said there is “no remedy” for the lawmakers who “vacated and lost their seats because of defection from the PDP, the party platform upon which they were elected into the house of assembly”.
“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 reelection 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,” he said.
The PDP chairman said the 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.
“For the avoidance of doubt, there is no division in the PDP at the national or any other level for that matter to justify the defection of the 25 former members of the Rivers state house of assembly from the party,” Damagum said.
“They, therefore, vacated their seats for reasons best known to them and cannot return to the house of assembly without passing through a fresh electoral process.
“Moreover, the speaker of the Rivers state house of assembly Rt. on (Barr) Ehie O. Edison DSSRS officially declared the seat of the defected now former members vacant.
“The Rivers state house of assembly, having become Functus Officio on the matter, cannot re-admit the former lawmakers unless through the channel of a fresh election.”
The PDP asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct by-elections in the 27 constituencies to fill the” vacant seats” in the Rivers house of assembly.
In recent weeks, there has been a power tussle between Fubara and Wike, leading to divisions in the state’s political landscape.
The conflict extended to the Rivers house of assembly, polarising the legislature.
Amid the political crisis, some commissioners resigned from Fubara’s cabinet.
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Former governor of Anambra State, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election, Mr. Peter Obi, has officially defected to the coalition-backed African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Obi announced the decision on Tuesday at an event held at the Nike Lake Resort, Enugu.
“We are ending this year with the hope that in 2026 we will begin a rescue journey,” Obi said.
The National Chairman of the ADC, David Mark, was among the attendees.
United States Representative Riley Moors has said further military strikes against Islamic State-linked militants in Nigeria could follow recent operations ordered by President Donald Trump, describing the actions as aimed at improving security and protecting Christian communities facing violence.
Moore made the remarks during a televised interview in which he addressed U.S. military strikes carried out on Christmas Day against militant targets in North-west Nigeria.
The strikes were conducted in coordination with the Nigerian government, according to U.S. and Nigerian officials.
“President Trump is not trying to bring war to Nigeria, he’s bringing peace and security to Nigeria and to the thousands of Christians who face horrific violence and death,” Moore said.
He said the Christmas Day strikes against Islamic State affiliates had provided hope to Christians in Nigeria, particularly in areas affected by repeated attacks during past festive periods.
According to U.S. authorities, the strikes targeted camps used by Islamic State-linked groups operating in parts of north-west Nigeria.
Nigerian officials confirmed that the operation was carried out with intelligence support from Nigerian security agencies as part of ongoing counter-terrorism cooperation between both countries.
The United States Africa Command said the operation was intended to degrade the operational capacity of extremist groups responsible for attacks on civilians and security forces.
Nigerian authorities have described the targeted groups as a threat to national security, noting their involvement in killings, kidnappings and raids on rural communities.
Moore said the strikes marked a shift from previous years in which attacks were carried out against civilians during the Christmas period. He said the U.S. administration was focused on preventing further violence by targeting militant groups before they could launch attacks.
U.S. officials have said the military action was carried out with the consent of the Nigerian government and formed part of broader security cooperation between the two countries. Nigeria has received intelligence, training and logistical support from international partners as it seeks to contain militant activity.
Moore had previously called for stronger international attention to attacks on Christian communities in Nigeria and has urged continued U.S. engagement in addressing extremist violence. He said further action would depend on developments on the ground and continued coordination with Nigerian authorities.
Nigerian officials have maintained that counter-terrorism operations are directed at armed groups threatening civilians, regardless of religion, and have reiterated their commitment to restoring security across affected regions.
World-renowned boxer Anthony Joshua on Monday survived a ghastly road accident in Makun, Ogun State.
Eyewitnesses report that the incident occurred along a busy highway of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway.
The vehicle carrying Joshua, a Lexus Jeep with the number plate, KRD 850 HN, reportedly collided with a stationary truck under circumstances that are still being investigated.
Joshua reportedly sustained minor injuries, while two persons were said to have died on the spot.
