The All Progressives Congress chapter in Rivers State stated that the 27 members of the House of Assembly, who are currently facing many challenges, do not require a physical building or the now-demolished House of Assembly complex in order to perform their jobs.
This was revealed on Thursday when a delegation from the state caretaker committee visited the APC’s national headquarters in Abuja.
The 27 legislators who support Nyesom Wike, the minister of the Federal Capital Territory, recently switched from the Peoples Democratic Party to the African National Congress (APC).
Since then, a group of the House of Assembly that supports Siminalayi Fubara, the state governor, has declared that their seats are vacant.
In order to replace them, the Independent National Electoral Commission has been requested to hold new elections by the PDP’s National Working Committee.
Speaking to reporters, Chief Tony Okocha, the chairman of the Rivers APC committee, reaffirmed that the majority of lawmakers can convene wherever to debate as long as the mace is there.
Okocha, a supporter of Nyesom Wike, the minister of the Federal Capital Territory, also provided justification for the House of Assembly members’ defection, stating that their behavior was normal.
“The House of Assembly can be moved to anyplace,” he declared. It’s not always about a structure. Members are free to sit anywhere as long as the mace is there. The 27 legislators convened this morning and even signed a few resolutions.
“The governor never bothered to form a panel or committee to conduct an investigation, not even after the building caught fire. We seem to know that he was the mastermind.
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The government hauled it down yesterday, Wednesday, to show the members that defected that it was a fait accompli. However, as a party, we have vowed to combat illegal activity and to stop anyone from harassing lawmakers.
“We want the world to know that we support.” Their actions are not exceptional. There is nothing new about defection. After the PDP ran aground in 2014, a large number of its members defected to the other party.
“The PDP in Rivers has collapsed, and the benefits are being shared with us. We are informing the governor that he cannot survive on criminal activity. The legal advisor has been instructed by me to ask the NJC to file a complaint against the court for issuing the “Jankara” ruling.
Okocha sidestepped the subject but maintained that impeachment is a necessary part of the political process when questioned if the MPs had truly intended to remove Governor Sim Fubara before the legislative building was demolished.
The chair of the Rivers APC caretaker committee also argued that the constitution has clauses explaining why any member may quit a party.
Since I am not a member of the House of Assembly, I will be hesitant to respond to that (the attempt to impeach Fubara). Once more, the impeachment procedure is characteristic of democracy. I am aware that we haven’t reached that point yet. We will battle the government for their uncivilized approach, that’s all. The constitution contains clauses that outline the grounds for a person to leave a party. Do you not know that members left because of their indiscretion?
However, it is wrong and against the law to have four members who sat. As a political party, we shall oppose any and all violations by the governor. When we were doing Renewed Hope, I openly courted Wike to come to Macedonia and assist us.
“The APC won in 2023 as a result of his refusal to cooperate with the PDP’s presidential candidate. I restated our request for him to come yesterday, and he will take over as the party’s head. However, Fubara has entirely abandoned government in Rivers and is starting to pursue shadows, he claimed.
