My attention has been drawn to the Press Statement issued yesterday December 11, 2023, by the National Executive Committee (NEC) of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as its swift reaction to the purported defection of twenty-seven Legislators of Rivers State House of Assembly from PDP to APC.

It was a rude shock and disappointment in the superlative sense of the word, to read that the NEC of PDP rather than intervene to help resolve the minor political disagreement between the immediate past governor Nyesom Wike and his beloved successor, Governor Siminalayi Fubara, for the overriding interest of the good and united people of Rivers State and continued Peace and Progress of the State, the NEC of PDP would rather be more interested in declaring that the Seats of these twenty-seven Legislators be declared vacant and calls on INEC to immediately conduct bye-elections to fill them. Is this an attitude of a leading political party that cares about the Peace, Unity, Progress and Democratic advancement of the people of Rivers State and by extension, that of over two hundred million Nigerians it sought to rule over again? The answer is an obvious, NO!

It is not anymore in doubt that all some leading Chieftains and members of the NEC of PDP care about is to continue in their anger against former governor Wike for supporting Bola Ahmed Tinubu of APC to become the elected President of Nigeria in 2023 even after the Supreme Court had delivered its Judgment on the 2023 Presidential Election. As a result of this continued anger against Wike, they are so committed to seeing the collapse of the Peace, Unity, Security and Economic Progress that existed in the Rivers State in the past eight years under Wike and his successful and peaceful handover of leadership to Mr Fubara whom he supported to emerge as elected governor, also against the wish of these members of NEC of PDP.

If I may ask; are these not the same Chieftains and members of the NEC of PDP who supported and approved of the worse form of disregard and desecration of our 1999 Nigerian Constitution, as amended, when from June 2019 to June 2023, Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State chased away majority of elected members of Edo State House of Assembly and ran the affairs of the State without constitutionally recognized members of the House of Assembly? Is this what they seek to reenact in Rivers State to have governor Fubara run the affairs of the State without the Legislators or with only four or five legislators out of the total of thirty-two Legislators? Nigerians must not allow PDP reenact such in Rivers State and any part of Nigeria as such constitutes the worst threat to our Constitutional Democracy, good government, Order and Peace.

In conclusion, I call on President Tinubu and well meaning Chieftains of PDP to urgently intervene to help resolve the minor political disagreement between Wike and his political son, governor Fubara and the return of all thirty-two legislators of Rivers State House of Assembly to the hallowed Chamber as one united elected members under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party. President Tinubu’s laudable intervention in resolution of the political crisis in Ondo State must be replicated right now in Rivers State

It is pertinent for me to state as this point that all actions taken so far by the twenty-seven legislators to commence impeachment of governor Fubara and their declaration of defection from PDP to APC, and the proclamation of the four or five other legislators as leaders of the House of Assembly, are unconstitutional, vexatious, mockery of Democracy and complete nullity that must not be tolerated and accepted by Nigerians. They are actions that offend the express provision of section 4 of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution, as amended, which clearly states the functions and duties of the Nigerian Legislature.

Comrade Engr Igbini Odafe Emmanuel.
National President,
Vanguard for Transparent Leadership and Democracy (VATLAD)