The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has officially declared its intention to pursue all legal avenues to remove members of the Rivers State House of Assembly who recently abandoned the party. This decisive move comes in response to the high-profile defection of 17 legislators, including the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Martin Amaewhule, to the rival All Progressives Congress (APC).
PDP Vows Constitutional Battle Over Defected Mandates
In a strongly-worded statement released on Saturday, December 6, 2025, the PDP's National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, outlined the party's planned course of action. Ememobong emphasized that the party would activate relevant provisions of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended) to reclaim the electoral mandates won under the PDP's banner.
"Consequently, the PDP will take legal steps to activate the provision of the Constitution... to recover the mandate gained under the banner of our party which these people have now ignobly and surreptitiously switched to another platform," the statement read. The party accused the lawmakers of acting as "political puppets" and a "clog in the wheels of democratic progress."
Details of the Defection and Political Fallout
The defection, which was announced from the floor of the Assembly on Friday, December 5, is seen as a major escalation in the ongoing political turmoil within the oil-rich state. Speaker Martin Amaewhule, leading 15 other legislators, cited a "deepening internal crisis" within the PDP as the primary reason for their departure. This marks the second time these lawmakers have announced a switch to the APC, having previously defected and then reversed their decision.
The move is expected to significantly intensify the existing factional disputes in Rivers State politics. In his reaction, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, described the defection as "unfortunate but constitutional." Wike reaffirmed his own loyalty to the PDP and pledged to collaborate with the remaining party members in the assembly.
What Legal Avenues Are Available to the PDP?
The PDP's threat hinges on Section 109(1)(g) of the Nigerian Constitution, which stipulates that a legislator shall vacate their seat if they defect from the political party under which they were elected, barring a division within that party. The party's legal team is now poised to file suits seeking declarations that the seats have become vacant, thereby triggering the need for by-elections.
The party's statement further condemned the lawmakers, asserting that "they will go down in history as enemies of democracy and those who made mockery of the legislature." As this legal and political drama unfolds, all eyes will be on the courts and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for their subsequent actions.
