The Rivers Elders Forum spokesperson, Prof. Atuboyedia Obianime, explained the complex political background of 27 state lawmakers who recently joined the All Progressives Congress (APC) after previously being members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in a statement that was shown on Symfoni TV.CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
For more than a year, the complex court cases that have been at the center of the ongoing legal dispute have not been settled. There have been a number of legal challenges that cast doubt on the lawmakers’ political standing, their defection procedure, and possible replacements in a by-election.
The situation is now even more complicated as a result of recent court decisions. A restraining order prohibiting the lawmakers from serving as members of the Rivers State House of Assembly was issued concurrently with the dismissal of a lawsuit to replace the lawmakers by a Federal High Court.
Prof. Obianime, in his candid assessment of the situation, emphasized the lawmakers’ seemingly incongruous actions.
He said, “In other words, these 27 lawmakers did not only decamp in the assembly; they were received by the APC, they swore to an affidavit in a high court, and they were received by the president.”
“Meaning that they have done all three arms of government and democracy. But we are surprised now; these same people have gone back to the courts to say they didn’t decamp.”
In addition, the elder statesman highlighted the ongoing legal ambiguity by saying, “We are surprised they said, even if, and in another vein, in another case, they were telling a high court that even if they decamped, their seats should be left for them.”
“Well, as Elders, we have seen the drama, and we are asking questions. It is in this same state that we found out that people went to court for the court to declare the statuses of the 27 lawmakers—cases that had been on for the past one year and one month. No court has given a ruling.”
Regarding the future of these lawmakers and the larger political scene in Rivers State, the ongoing political drama continues to spark a great deal of interest and conjecture.CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
