Defected 27 PDP lawmakers at the Rivers State House of Assembly to the APC have been advised to route their defection to the All Progressives Congress through their respective wards.
Publicity secretary of the party in the Rivers State, Darlington Nwauju advised the lawmakers to follow the party’s constitution provisions.
Speaking in Port Harcourt on Tuesday, Nwauju noted that the 27 lawmakers “did not follow the due process” provided by law in their defection to the APC.
Nwauju said that the party “cannot celebrate the movement of the 27 lawmakers to the APC”, adding that “they did not approach their decamping from the ward level as provided by the party’s guiding principle”.
His words: “Ordinarily, as a political party we should be opening our door for new members from other political parties.
“However, in this instant case, the defection of the lawmakers, passing through the constitutionally approved method of defection in our party, from Article 8 and 9 of the APC Constitution 2022 as amended, you will clearly see the method and that is by joining through your ward, that is, getting registered at the ward level.
“There are also some exceptions, wherein the national working committee of the party can sit and consider in special cases, to approve waivers for certain individuals. At the 134th meeting, you heard the outcome of that particular meeting. It did not point to the fact that some persons had applied for a waiver to join APC in Rivers State,” he added.
Reports reveal that 27 out of 32 members of the Rivers State legislature, who were elected on the platform of the PDP, announced their defection to the APC on Monday.
While the leadership of the APC has described the defection as a welcome development, the PDP has insisted that their seats be declared vacant.
