The Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Edison Ehie, has formally written to notify the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), of the existence of 25 vacant seats in the state legislature, urging the electoral body to conduct a fresh election on the affected constituencies.
The request followed last Wednesday’s resolution passed by Ehie-led lawmakers who declared the seats of the 25 members of the House vacant after they dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressives Congress (APC) vacant, citing Section 109(1) (g) of the Constitution Of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).
This was as a Rivers High Court in Port Harcourt, on Tuesday, December 12, declared Edison Ehie, the authentic Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, following the assembly leadership tussle between Ehie and Amaewhule.
The Court, presided over by Justice M. W. Danagogo, in an ex parte motion brought by Ehie, restrained Rt. Hon. Martin Amaewhule from parading himself as the Speaker of the state assembly.
It was earlier reported that the 25 Rivers Assembly lawmakers, led by Rt. Hon. Martin Amaewhule, loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on Monday, dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), for the All Progressives Congress (APC).
You may recall that the Amaewhule-led lawmakers on October 30 attempted an impeachment on the state Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, promoting some other lawmakers loyal to the Governor to impeach Amaewhule as the Speaker and elected Ehie as new Speaker of the house.
The letter, dated December 14 2023, was received and acknowledged by the electoral body on Friday, December 15.
The letter reads in part: “I write to formally bring to your notice vacancies in the seat of the under-listed constituencies and membership pursuant to Section 109(1)(g) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).
“The under-listed members who represented the respective constituencies indicated against their names jointly and severally decamped from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), under whose platform they were elected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) on December 11, 2023.
“As a result, in accordance with Section 109(2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) and by Resolution of the House at the 90th Legislative Sitting of the Rivers State House of Assembly, held on December 13, 2023, their seats were declared vacant.
“Consequently, I write on behalf of the Rivers State House of Assembly to kindly request for a by-election to be conducted to fill the vacant seats in the Rivers State House of Assembly.”
•INDEPENDENTNG.