Stop Escalating Rivers’ Political Crisis – APP Cautions INEC

• Demands by-election to fill seats vacated by 27 lawmakers

BY ONYEKACHUKWU IBEZIM – The Chairman of Action Peoples Party (APP) in Rivers State, Hon Sunny Wokekoro has cautioned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) against escalating the political crisis in the South South State

Wokekoro said INEC’s refusal to conduct by-election to fill the vacant seats of the 27 lawmakers who defected from Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) to All Progressive Congress (APC) is unfortunately adding to the problems facing Rivers State currently.

Describing the electoral umpire’s attitude and posturing as ‘worrisome’, the APP Chairman said the recent judgement has now confirmed and authenticated the defection of the 27 lawmakers in Rivers State House of Assembly.

Wokekoro spoke against the backdrop of the court ruling by Justice Sika Aprioku dismissing the suit seeking to compel Governor Siminalayi Fubara to re-present the N800 billion 2024 budget to the aggrieved 27 lawmakers of the State House of Assembly led by Martins Amaewhule.

He said the judgment clearly mentioned that Governor Siminialayi Fubara is right in presenting the 2024 and 2025 budgets to Rt. Hon. Victor Oko-Jumbo led Assembly.

According to him, the APP as a party is “calling on INEC to immediately conduct another election to the seats vacated by the 27 lawmakers following their defection.

“The party will explore the possibility of legal action to compel INEC to conduct the election if our call is not adhered to.

“The judgement has authenticate and confirmed that the that the Governor has the constitutional right to present both the 2024 and 2025 budgets to Rt. Hon. Oko-Jumbo”.

Wokekoro said the APP is “prepared and optimistic to win all the seats, adding that the party has credible persons that have the capacity.

“Our party is one of the fastest growing party currently in the country it is the party to beat at any election”.

He lamented that the respective constituencies of the defected lawmakers are suffering lack of representations in the State House of Assembly as presently headed by the Rt.Hon. Victor Oko- Jumbo.

This is as he urged all political parties in Rivers State to take a common and unified position in demanding that INEC immediately conduct bye elections to fill in the vacant seats due to the embattled lawmakers’ defection.

Applauding Governor Fubara for being proactive and running an all-inclusive government, Wokekoro noted that his people’s based approach in development, especially the execution of projects without borrowing funds is quite commendable and in the overall interest of Rivers State.