APC takes control of Rivers State Assembly as 27 PDP lawmakers defect to APC
Story from Ibraheem Hamza MUHAMMAD
Twenty-seven members of the Rivers State House of Assembly have publicly announced their defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The legislators altered their political allegiance by defecting from the PDP to the APC during Monday’s assembly session, 11th of December, 2023.
READ ALSO: Fubara denies sacking Chief Judge, Chief of Staff, Local Government Chairmen
The defection marks a new dynamic in the ongoing political feud between Governor Similanayi Fubara and his political mentor, former state governor and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
With 32 members in the House of Assembly, the defection implies that Wike’s faction and the dissenting House members now possess a more than two-thirds majority, potentially paving the way for the removal of the governor.
The rift between Governor Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, came to light in October, marked by the burning of a section of the Rivers House of Assembly and reported attempts to impeach the governor by lawmakers loyal to Wike.
Despite intervention efforts by President Bola Tinubu and the PDP Governors Forum, led by Governor Bala Mohammed, the crisis continues to escalate.
Wike, feeling betrayed by Fubara, vowed not to succumb to intimidation, emphasising the importance of preserving the political structure of the state.
In a subsequent development, Wike’s allies assumed control of the APC executive offices in the state as caretakers, following the dissolution of the party structure.
With this defection, the APC has taken control of the state assembly.