Politics
APP Wants INEC To Conduct By-Election To Fill Rivers Assembly Vacant Seats
The Chairman of Action Peoples Party (APP) in Rivers State, Hon Sunny Wokekoro, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC) to conduct by-election to fill the vacant seats of the 27 lawmakers who defected from Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress. (APC).
He stated that INEC’s delay to conduct the election was also contributing to the political crisis in the State and becoming worrisome, saying that the recent judgement had confirmed the defection of the embattled 27 lawmakers in Rivers State House of Assembly led by Martins Amaewhule.
Hon. Wokekoro said this while reacting to the recent court judgement by Justice Sika Aprioku that dismissed the suit seeking to compel Governor Siminalayi Fubara to re-present the N800 billion 2024 budget to the 27 lawmakers.
According to him, the judgement had clearly mentioned that the Gov. Fubara was right to have presented the 2024 and 2025 budgets to the Rt Hon. Victor Oko-Jumbo led Assembly.
“As a party we are calling on INEC to immediately conduct another election to the seats vacated by the 27 lawmakers following their defection.
“The party will explore the possibility of legal action to compel INEC to conduct the election if our call is not adhered to.
“The judgement has authenticated and confirmed that the Governor has the constitutional right to present both the 2024 and 2025 budgets to Rt. Hon. Oko-Jumbo”, Hon. Wokekoro said.
He expressed the confidence that the APP was poised to win all the seats, adding that the party has credible persons that have the capacity to achieve electoral success.
“Our party is one of the fastest growing parties currently in the country; it is the party to beat at any election”, he stated.
The APP boss noted that the respective constituencies of the defected members were deprived of representation in the state house of assembly as presently headed by the Rt Hon. Oko- Jumbo and enjoined all political parties to join hands in demanding for INEC to immediately conduct a bye election to fill the vacant seats occasioned by the defection.
The party chairman used the opportunity to laud the governor’s approach to developing the state, especially by not borrowing money to execute projects.
Tonye Orabere