Rivers State All Progressives Congress (APC) Chairman, Chief Emeka Beke, has slammed 27 state lawmakers for denying their defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Beke, an ally of Rotimi Amaechi, said the lawmakers, led by Martin Amaewhule, cannot disown their APC membership after publicly defecting.
At a news briefing on Saturday, Beke responded to Amaewhule’s claims of remaining in the PDP.
He stated, “I want to put it on record that those 27 members of the House of Assembly are still members of the APC. The law is clear on defection. They cannot run away from the truth because we all know and saw it when they defected to our party.”
“In our last meeting, we sent out invitations for them (the pro-Wike lawmakers) to attend, but they did not. Right now, we are focused on local government elections, and after that, we will take necessary actions concerning them,” he added.
He also confirmed that all APC candidates for the elections had been screened and cleared by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC). “The APC will take part in the forthcoming local government elections on October 5. Our candidates have been screened and cleared,” he declared.
He commended Governor Siminalayi Fubara for providing a level playing field for all political parties in the upcoming elections.
“This is the first time in the history of politics in Rivers State that we are seeing a governor who is ready to give all parties the opportunity to test their popularity, allowing Rivers people to elect their preferred chairmen and councillors,” he stated.
The lawmakers defected amid a crisis involving the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and Governor Fubara.