Rivers Assembly Speaker Urges INEC to Fill 27 Vacant Seats Amidst Defection Saga

Rivers Assembly Speaker Urges INEC to Fill 27 Vacant Seats Amidst Defection Saga

Rivers State House of Assembly Speaker, Rt Hon Victor Oko Jumbo, has made a renewed call to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a by-election to fill the 27 vacant seats in the State House of Assembly. These seats were vacated by members who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) after failing to impeach Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

The speaker's call comes after Martin Amaewhule and 26 others discontinued their lawsuit, Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1681/2023, which had restrained INEC from conducting a bye-election. With the lawsuit struck out, Rt Hon Oko Jumbo argues that there's no longer any legal impediment to holding the by-election.

Rt Hon Oko Jumbo recalled that the defection saga began on December 11, 2023, when Martin Chike Amaewhule and 26 others defected from PDP to APC after failing to impeach Governor Fubara on October 30, 2023. In an attempt to frustrate INEC from conducting a bye-election, Amaewhule and others filed Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1681/2023 against INEC and four others on December 13, 2023. An order of Interlocutory Injunction was subsequently secured, restraining INEC from conducting a bye-election.

However, after filing the suit and securing the injunction, Amaewhule and others reportedly failed to diligently prosecute their case at the Federal High Court, Abuja. In a surprising turn of events, they discontinued the lawsuit on October 30, 2024, effectively paving the way for the by-election.

With the lawsuit struck out, Rt Hon Oko Jumbo emphasized that INEC should conduct the by-election without delay. "The only impediment to INEC conducting a bye election to fill the 27 vacant seats in the Rivers State House of Assembly was the order of Interlocutory Injunction restraining INEC from conducting a bye election. Now that Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1681/2023 has been struck out, the order of interlocutory injunction is also spent," he stated.

The speaker's call has sparked mixed reactions, with some supporting the move and others questioning the motivations behind it. As the situation unfolds, Nigerians await INEC's response and the outcome of the potential by-election.

Rt Hon Oko Jumbo addressed a press conference in Port Harcourt on Friday, reiterating his call for INEC to act swiftly. "Accordingly, as the Rt. Honourable Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, I call on INEC to forthwith conduct a bye-election to fill the 27 vacant seats in the Rivers State House of Assembly," he declared.

The Rivers State House of Assembly has been operating with reduced membership since the defection, and the speaker's call aims to ensure that the people of Rivers State have adequate representation. As the political landscape continues to evolve, the outcome of this development will be closely watched.

Stay tuned for updates on this developing story.