The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) states that it will initiate legal action to recover the mandates held by Rivers lawmakers who recently defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Sixteen members of the Rivers House of Assembly, including the Speaker, Martin Amaewhule, announced their defection from the PDP to the APC during plenary on Friday.
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Ini Ememobong, the PDP national publicity secretary, in a statement on Saturday in Abuja, condemned what he called “re-defection” by the 16 lawmakers.
He said the lawmakers had earlier defected and later recanted, describing them as acting on the orders of their “paymaster and demigod”.
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Mr Ememobong added that their conduct since assuming office had shown they were “political puppets obstructing democratic progress”.
“They will go down in history as enemies of democracy and those who made a mockery of the legislature,” he said.
He described their latest move as “a defection from APC to APC,” insisting the lawmakers had abandoned the platform that brought them into office.
“The PDP will take legal steps to activate constitutional provisions to recover the mandates gained under our banner,” he said.
Mr Ememobong urged party members in Rivers to remain resolute as efforts continued to rebuild the PDP on the principles of fairness, equity, and inclusiveness.
The Rivers Speaker, Mr Amaewhule, a strong ally of the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, leads 26 lawmakers who are also loyal to the minister. The PDP recently expelled Mr Wike from the party, along with 10 others.
“APC is my new party. I will do all that is needed to be done towards ensuring that the party card of the APC is issued to me in no time,” Mr Amaewhule said on Friday.
READ ALSO: PDP issues expulsion certificates to Wike, Fayose, Anyanwu, eight others
The lawmakers’ announcement of their defection comes days after the speaker accused Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers of allowing public schools in the state to deteriorate.
The defection also comes about 48 hours after the Amaewhule-led Assembly endorsed President Bola Tinubu for a second term. Mr Wike serves as a minister in Mr Tinubu’s administration.
(NAN)
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