Pro-Fubara speaker demands by-election to replace 27 lawmakers

Tamarauemi Ebimini

Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly loyal to Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Rt. Hon. Victor Oko-Jumbo, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission to conduct a bye-election to fill the 27 vacant seats of defected members in the State House of Assembly.

The Speaker said the renewed call became pertinent since the legal impediment stopping INEC hitherto, from conducting the bye-election, has been removed.

Rt. Hon. Oko-Jumbo made the call on Friday when he addressed a press conference in Port Harcourt.

He said it was common public knowledge that Martin Chike Amaewhule and 26 other lawmakers of the Rivers State House of Assembly, on their own accord, defected on the 11th day of December, 2023, from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress, without any justifiable cause.

He said, “The only impediment to INEC conducting a bye-election to fill the 27 vacant seats in the Rivers State House of Assembly was the order of Interlocutory Injunction restraining INEC from conducting a bye-election.

“Now that Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1681/2023 has been struck out, the order of Interlocutory Injunction is also spent.”

“Accordingly, as the Rt. Honourable Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, I call on INEC to forthwith conduct a bye- election to fill the 27 vacant seats in the Rivers State House of Assembly,” he added.