The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Monday asserted that there is no way back for the 25 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly whose seats have been declared vacant except through a fresh nomination process.
Leading members of the National Working Committee (NWC) at a press conference after an emergency meeting of the situation in Rivers State in Abuja on Tuesday, the Acting National Chairman, Umar Damangun, maintained that by virtue of Section 109 (1)(g) of the Nigerian Constitution, they have vacated and lost their seats by reason of defection from the PDP upon which they were elected into the House.
He said that they must now seek re-nomination under any party of their choice if they wish to return to the legislature.
The party boss emphasised that there is no division in the PDP at any level to justify the defection of the 25 former members from the party.
He, therefore, urged the former assemblymen to be wary of the kind of counsel they take in order not to be deceived by false hope.
Damangun stated: “The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) asserts that there is no remedy for the 25 former members of the Rivers State House of Assembly who, by virtue of Section 109 (1)(g) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), vacated and lost their seats by reason 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 re-election 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.
“The 25 former Rivers 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 into the Rivers State House of Assembly without the conditions stipulated by the 1999 Constitution.
“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. 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 in accordance with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and the Electoral Act, 2022.
“Moreover, the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. (Barr) Ehie O. Edison, DSSRS, officially declared the seats of the defected and now-former members vacant in line with Section 109 (1)(g) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended). 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.
“Our Party, therefore, counsels the former members of the Rivers State House of Assembly not to be deceived by anybody giving them the false hope and impracticable assurances in Abuja that they can return to the Rivers State House of Assembly without a fresh election or that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) can be stopped from conducting fresh elections into the 25 Rivers State Constituencies where vacancies have occurred by reason of their defection.
“For emphasis, Section 84 (15) of the Electoral Act, 2022, is clear in providing that no court has the power to stop INEC from conducting elections wherever and whenever a vacancy occurs in any electoral constituency.
“For clarity, Section 84 (15) of the Electoral Act, 2022, provides that ‘Nothing in this section shall empower the Courts to stop the holding of primaries or general elections under this Act pending the determination of the suit.”’
The PDP demanded that INEC should, in line with Section 109 (1) (g) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and Section 84 (15) of the Electoral Act, 2022, fix a date for the conduct of fresh elections into the 25 state constituencies in Rivers State “where vacancies have occurred because of the defection of the now former members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, pending the determination of any suit in any court.”
The PDP boss charged all members of the party in Rivers State to remain united and resolute in the defence of constitutional democracy and the rule of law.
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