Rivers PDP Describes 27 Lawmakers as Ingrates

•Says legislators operating an illegal Assembly

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt
 

The Rivers State chapter of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described the 27 state House of Assembly members, who recently defected to All Progressives Congress (APC), as ingrates. PDP said the legislators took the mandate of the party to APC without consulting their constituents.

PDP cautioned the 27 legislators to stop disturbing the peace of the state but allow Governor Siminalayi Fubara to concentrate on delivering his mandate to Rivers people.

In a statement by PDP State Publicity Secretary, Sydney Gbara, the party told the lawmakers to first address their legal status before threatening the governor on impeachment.

Gbara said the 27 lawmakers, who defeated to APC following a political dispute between the governor and his godfather, Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, had continued to make retrogressive laws and utterances that were inimical to the growth and development of the state.

He stated that while other Houses of Assembly were making laws for the development and good government of their states and supporting their respective governments, the Rivers State Assembly was busy displaying selfish interest.

The PDP publicity secretary urged the state lawmakers to  bury their heads in shame, for resorting to acts of destabilisation and destruction.

He stated, “Those people were the first beneficiaries of the magnanimity and peaceful disposition of Governor Fubara by signing the lopsided peace accord, despite (that) a court of competent jurisdiction had recognised Rt. Hon Edison Ehie as the speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, which gave them a lifeline to still operate, because having defected to APC without any crisis in PDP, their seats were vacant constitutionally.

“But now that they show how ungrateful they are, the several court cases querying their legality, seeking the interpretation of section 109 1g of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended, will settle the dust around them in due course.

“No matter how long they try to run away from it, justice must be served because they no longer represent their constituencies. Their actions are a total embarrassment to Rivers people and a complete show of public shame.

“The people elected them out of their good will, but they let those constituents down by pursuing selfish agenda that has further plunged the state into crisis. The threat of impeachment is empty and cannot stand. It is selfish and their pursuit of personal aggrandisement, which will be resisted by Rivers people.”