People Democratic Party (PDP) has disclosed plans take legal steps against the 16 Rivers State lawmakers who have left the party for All Progressives Congress (APC).
Gatekeepers News reports that days before their defection, the 32-member assembly had passed a vote of confidence in President Bola Tinubu and encouraged him to seek another term in office.
In a statement on Friday, PDP spokesperson Ini Ememobong criticised the lawmakers, recalling that they had earlier announced a move to the APC but later withdrew the claim. He accused them of acting under the influence of a “paymaster”.
According to him, the lawmakers have repeatedly behaved in ways that undermine democratic values.
The statement t readtpThe members of the Rivers State House of Assembly have, by their actions since they assumed office, shown that they are political puppets and a clog in the wheels of democratic progress,” the statement reads.
He added that “They will go down in history as enemies of democracy and those who made a mockery of the legislature. So the easiest way to describe their action is a defection from APC to APC.”
Ememobong said the PDP will approach the courts to reclaim the seats, insisting the lawmakers won their elections under the party but have now “surreptitiously switched to another.”
He also called on PDP members in Rivers to stay calm as the party works to “rebuild the party along the path of inclusiveness, fairness and equity.”
