The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State has welcomed 27 state lawmakers who recently defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to join their ranks.
In a formal reception held at the Port Harcourt Polo Club and chaired by Tony Okocha, the Caretaker Chairman of Rivers APC, the lawmakers were officially received into the party.
During the ceremony, Okocha levelled allegations against the Rivers State Government, accusing it of orchestrating the arson incident at the Rivers State Assembly.
“I challenge the Governor (Sim Fubara and the PDP) to prove to the Rivers people that they are not the ones responsible for the burning of the Rivers Assembly,” he told the gathering on Monday.
“How did the fire ‘catch’ the place?” the APC chieftain asked.
In the wake of the defection, the PDP called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to declare the lawmakers’ seats vacated, with the Fubara government demolishing the assembly complex owing to the fire incident.
Governor Fubara subsequently presented the 2024 budget to the other lawmakers at the Government House in Port Harcourt.
But Okocha claims the defectors can meet and make laws at any place, irrespective of the PDP’s call.
“How many days ago, we were told that they had pulled down the assembly? As early as 7:00 a.m., they pulled down the assembly.
But let’s say this clearly: assembly does not infer a structure. An assembly is not a building. The assembly is the human beings who are members of the assembly,” Okocha said.
“So, our assembly members that have defected to us—27 of them—are free to meet anywhere as far as the symbol of authority—the maze—is there.”
While speaking at the event attended by 26 of the lawmakers, Martin Amaewhule, who leads the group of lawmakers, maintained that they are still members of the assembly despite their seats being declared vacant by the Edison Ehie group.
“We made sure that we followed due process. We made sure we did not do anything outside the provisions of the 1999 Constitution. The Constitution has given people room to defect,” he told the audience, which was comprised mostly of APC chieftains.
“That is why Section 109 Subsection 1(G) allows serving legislators who want to do so with the proviso that there is a division in the party upon which they rode to the House of Assembly. So, in line with that provision, we defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).”
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