- PDP rejects peace deal brokered by President Tinubu in Rivers State discord, urges defected lawmakers to prepare for fresh elections
- Acting PDP Chairman emphasizes adherence to constitutional provisions, requests INEC to schedule new polls in 25 affected constituencies in Rivers State
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has dismissed the peace agreement facilitated by President Bola Tinubu in the ongoing discord between Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his estranged godfather, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday, the Acting National Chairman of the party, Umar Damagum, urged the former lawmakers involved not to be misled by individuals in Abuja, emphasizing that they willingly vacated their seats.
Damagum stressed that the appropriate course of action for the 25 lawmakers who defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) is to prepare for a fresh election under any political party of their choice. The PDP has already communicated with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to make preparations for new polls in the affected constituencies.
Insisting on adherence to constitutional provisions, Damagum stated, “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.”
The PDP, supported by the National Working Committee (NWC), demands that INEC follows Section 109 (1) (g) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and Section 84 (15) of the Electoral Act, 2022, to schedule a date for fresh elections in the 25 state constituencies in Rivers State where vacancies arose due to the lawmakers’ defection.
The party asserted that there is no internal crisis and urged the public to disregard the claims made by the lawmakers. Damagum clarified, “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.”
The PDP emphasized that the former lawmakers cannot return to the House of Assembly without undergoing a fresh electoral process in line with constitutional provisions and the Electoral Act, 2022. The party cautioned the lawmakers not to be deceived by false assurances in Abuja that they can resume their positions without a new election or that INEC can be prevented from conducting fresh elections in the 25 Rivers State constituencies affected by the defection.