25 Rivers Lawmakers Who Left PDP For APC Have Lost Their Parliament Seats-Falana
Human rights lawyer, Mr Femi Falana, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, has once again, argued that members of the Rivers state House of Assembly who left PDP for the APC in December last year, had since lost their parliament seats.
Recall that 25 members of the state house of assembly who are loyal to the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, had announced their decision to defect to APC in December 2023.
Team@orientactualmags.com learned that Falana ,who appeared on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme on Sunday, asserted that the lawmakers in question had lost their parliament seats for leaving PDP for the APC.
‘Unless you can show and demonstrate that there is division in a political party that sponsored your election, you cannot remain in any legislative arm if you decamp to another party. The whole idea is that the constitution set out to ban political prostitution on the part of legislators’ he said.
Falana also noted that there is a court order restraining the 25 lawmakers from parading themselves as legislators in the state, as well as prohibiting the speaker from identifying himself as the speaker of the house of assembly.
‘It may be very difficult to persuade the court to allow them to remain in the legislative house unless they are prepared to go back to the people and have their mandate renewed by the people.
The Supreme Court made this clear in the case of Adetunde and the Labour Party, that you cannot decamp and then remain a member of a legislative house in Nigeria unless you can show that there is a division in your party. It doesn’t mean a division in a local government or a state. It has to be on the national level. That is the position of the court’ he added-Team@orientactualmags.com Do you have any information you wish to share with us? Do you want us to cover your event or programme? Kindly send SMS to 08059100286, 09094171980 or get in touch via orientactualmag@gmail.com. Thank you
