18th December, 2023
By Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt
Factional Speaker of the Rivers Assembly, Edison Ehie, has formally notified the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of the existence of 25 vacant seats in the state legislative chamber.
Ehie, who is leading a four-member faction of the Assembly loyal to Governor Siminalayi Fubara asked the electoral body to commence the process of conducting election into the state constituencies in the letter.
The letter, signed by Ehie was sighted by our correspondent on the same day the other faction of Rivers Assembly led by Martin Amaewhule was officially welcomed into the All Progressives Congress, APC in Port Harcourt.
The lawmakers who were loyal to Nyesom Wike, former governor of Rivers State and incumbent minister of Federal Capital Territory were received on Sunday by the State’s All Progressives Congress APC Caretaker Committee Chairman, Tony Okocha and representatives of the National Executive Council of the party in attendance.
Ehie had declared the seats of the 27 lawmakers vacant after they defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress, APC.
However, the Amawhule faction has also obtained a court order stopping INEC from conducting fresh elections to fill their seats.