The Labour Party has joined the call for fresh elections in Rivers State following the mass defection of 27 lawmakers from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Monday.
The party’s position was conveyed in a statement signed by its Rivers State Chairman, Hilder Dokubo, who stressed the unconstitutionality of the defections.
Ms. Dokubo cited Section 109(1)(g) of the Nigerian Constitution, which stipulates that a lawmaker loses their seat if they defect to another party before the expiration of their term.
“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 further urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to initiate the process of conducting fresh elections to fill the vacant seats. Ms. Dokubo referenced several precedents, including the 2022 court rulings that unseated defecting lawmakers in Ebonyi, Cross River, and a 2012 Supreme Court decision involving a Labour Party member.
“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.”
