- The lawmakers, including the factional Speaker, Rt. Hon. Matthew Amaewhule, announced their defection, in a letter read on the floor of the Assembly on Monday
No fewer than 26 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, have dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The lawmakers, including the factional Speaker, Rt. Hon. Matthew Amaewhule, announced their defection, in a letter read on the floor of the Assembly on Monday.
In the letter, which was also addressed to the state’s acting chairman of PDP and signed by all the 26 lawmakers, the defectors cited the division at the national leadership of the party for their decision to quit the PDP.
Meanwhile, Governor Siminalayi Fubara has said during the week that no level of intimidation deliberately staged in some quarters will make him abandon the mandate given to him to serve, protect, and advance the fortunes of the state.
Fubara made this known on Thursday while declaring open the 115 and 116 combined Quarterly General Meeting of the State’s Council of Traditional Rulers in Port Harcourt.
He reaffirmed his commitment to serve with humility, sincerity of purpose, and accountability despite the crisis rocking the state.
Fubara said: “Although these are trying times, let us not forget that Rivers State is our collective inheritance, presently under my watch, to protect, defend, and advance it as the Governor.
“I assure you that I will not fail in this responsibility, nor will I surrender our mandate and progress to intimidation, blackmail, and deliberate sabotage.
“I reaffirm my earlier statement and recommit myself to the path of peace, as there is nothing to gain in a state of needless crisis.”
“We will also take deliberate steps to unlock the entrepreneurial spirit among our teeming unemployed youths through viable initiatives on skills development, entrepreneurship training, and targeted investments in commercial agriculture.
“We must all be worried about the plight of our youths, especially those in rural communities, most of whom are poor, neglected, and almost forgotten in the government’s development plans, policies, and actions.
“As we all know, no human society can progress without peace and security.
“I will therefore urge you to continue to work tirelessly for the preservation of peace and security to attract sustainable development to your communities.”