Damagun has called on INEC to conduct elections to replace the pro-Wike lawmakers sacked in the ongoing Rivers crisis.
In a decisive action against pro-Wike lawmakers in Rivers State, Umar Damagun, the Acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has formally requested the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to organize a bye-election to fill the vacant seats resulting from their defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
This request was articulated in a letter addressed to INEC, dated November 13, 2024, and was made public by Ikenga Ugochinyere, spokesperson for the Opposition Lawmakers Coalition, during a press conference in Akokwa, Imo State.
The letter, titled “DEMAND FOR IMMEDIATE CONDUCT OF FRESH ELECTION IN 27 STATE CONSTITUENCIES OF RIVERS STATE WHICH HAVE BECOME VACANT PURSUANT TO SECTION 109(1)(g) OF THE CONSTITUTION,” highlights the “unlawful” defection of 27 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly on December 11, 2023, asserting that, under constitutional provisions, these lawmakers are no longer part of the Assembly.
Consequently, the PDP’s acting chairman urged INEC to fulfill its constitutional responsibilities by initiating the process for fresh elections to address the vacancies created by the actions of the former Assembly members.
The Commission is reminded that our Party, the PDP, officially nominated all 32 candidates for the State House of Assembly in Rivers State for the 2023 General Election on July 7, 2022, through your electronic nomination portal, as acknowledged in the attached document.
Following this nomination, the Commission held elections for the Rivers State House of Assembly on March 18, 2023, resulting in our Party securing all 32 seats, with the elected members inaugurated in June 2023.
However, on December 11, 2023, merely six months post-inauguration, 27 of the 32 members publicly declared their defection to the All Progressive Congress (APC), which constitutes a serious breach of Section 109(1)(g) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).
The Constitution does not provide any grounds for such defections within our Party, indicating that the actions of these 27 members lack lawful justification, thereby vacating their seats in the Rivers State House of Assembly under Section 109(1)(g).
Consequently, we request that the Commission fulfill its constitutional responsibilities by initiating the process for conducting a Fresh Election to address the vacancies in the 27 State Constituencies resulting from this unlawful defection.
Attached is the list of the 27 State Assembly Members along with their respective Constituencies. We appreciate the Commission’s dedication to enhancing democracy in our nation and extend our highest regards.
Peoplesmind
