The Labour Party has expressed support for the demand for new elections in Rivers State.
This comes after 27 lawmakers from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) switched to the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Monday.
The party’s stance was expressed in a statement by Hilder Dokubo, the Chairman of the Labour Party in Rivers State. Dokubo emphasized that the defections were unconstitutional, referring to Section 109(1)(g) of the Nigerian Constitution.
This section states that a lawmaker forfeits their seat if they join another party before their term ends.
“The provision is clear about the fate of those legislators who betrayed the party that sponsored them,” Ms. Dokubo said. “Therefore, Labour demands the Speaker of the House to declare the 27 seats vacant immediately.”,
The Labour Party has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to start organising new elections to fill the empty seats. Ms. Dokubo mentioned a few examples, such as court rulings in 2022 that removed lawmakers who defected in Ebonyi and Cross River, as well as a 2012 Supreme Court ruling that involved a member of the Labour Party.
“The political class should be aware that they can no longer take the electorates and party that sponsored them for a ride,” she said. “Fresh elections in Rivers State will offer the people the opportunity to elect their true representatives.”
