The Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) has condemned the defection of 17 Rivers State lawmakers to the All Progressives Congress, describing their action as reckless and an act of betrayal carried out at a critical moment for the state’s democracy.

PDP National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, in an interview with Saturday PUNCH, said the lawmakers had portrayed themselves as “enemies of democracy by abandoning the platform through which they were elected.”

He accused them of undermining the mandate of Rivers people and destabilising the legislature for partisan gain.

Seventeen members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, led by the Speaker, Martin Amaewhule, dumped the PDP for APC on Friday during a plenary, attributing the move to what he described as a “division” within the PDP.

He said, “Distinguished colleagues, APC is my new party. I will do all that is needed to be done towards ensuring that the party card of the APC is issued to me in no time. But as I speak today, I am a member of the APC. I am happy to be a member of APC so that we can join forces with Mr President. Mr President is doing so much for this country.

“As of today, even the national headquarters of the PDP is not functioning as a result of this division. There are two factions, and the constitution is clear that when there is a division in any political party, when the party is divided, members including Assembly members who no longer have hope can leave the party without any consequences.

“That is why I had to make this clear, that the foundation for this defection is the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

However, Ememobong said there was nothing surprising about the development, noting that they simply moved from APC back to APC.

He stated, “This is a case of re-defection; they had previously defected then later denied it. The members of the Rivers State House of Assembly 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.”

At the Friday plenary, the House expressed concern over Fubara’s delay in submitting the list of commissioners’ nominees for screening, with the Speaker calling it a breach of the constitution. The House adjourned plenary to the 26th of January, 2026.

A statement later issued by the media aide to the Speaker, Martins Wachukwu, said the House has reaffirmed its resolution to adopt the auditorium of the legislative quarters as its hallowed chamber.

The statement was titled, “Rivers Assembly Reaffirms Resolution on the Adoption of Assembly Quarters Auditorium as Chamber,” with a sub-title, “As 17 Members of the House Defect to the APC.”

“At its 39th Legislative Sitting of the 3rd Session of the Tenth Assembly, the Rivers State House of Assembly, on Friday, through a Motion, reaffirmed its earlier resolution made on the 14th of December, 2023, which adopted the auditorium at the State House of Assembly quarters as its hallowed Chamber to conduct legislative businesses,” it stated.

Moving the motion for the reaffirmation, Deputy Majority Leader of the House, Linda Somiari-Stewart, averred that section 101 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria empowers the House to regulate its own procedures, including where to hold its sittings for the good governance of the state.

He prayed the House to resolve, among others, the reaffirmation of the current hallowed Chamber situated at the Assembly quarters as the legitimate and lawful Chamber for the conduct of legislative businesses for the life of the Tenth Assembly of the State.

According to the statement, members commented in support of the motion and urged the House to mandate the Clerk to continue to provide all administrative support to the House in the current hallowed Chamber.

Speaking on the motion, Amaewhule stated that what makes an Assembly is the people and not the building, calling on all relevant security agencies to continue to provide security for the Assembly quarters to enable the House perform its constitutional duties.

The statement added, “Still on Friday, 17 members of the House who were elected into the House under the umbrella of the Peoples’ Democratic Party, defected to the APC.

“The reason given for the defection, as individually affirmed, was predicated on the division in the party at the national level, which has made the future of the party hazy and nebulous.”

“Those who defected to the All Progressives Congress include the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Martin Chike Amaewhule; the Deputy Speaker, Rt. Hon. Dumle Maol; the Majority Leader, Hon. Major Jack; the Deputy Majority Leader, Hon. Linda Somiari-Stewart; the Chief Whip, Hon. Frankline Nwabuchi; and the Deputy Whip, Hon. Ofiks Kabang. Others are Hon. Peter Abbey, Hon. Smart Adoki, Hon. Igwe Aforji, Hon. Arnold Davids, Hon. Enemi George, Hon. Tekenari Granville, Hon. Christian Nwankwo, Hon. Gerald Oforji, Hon. Azeru Opara, Hon. Lolo Opuende, and Hon. Solomon Wami.”

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has said the 16 defected members of the Rivers State House of Assembly are free to leave the Peoples Democratic Party, adding that his camp would continue to work with the remaining lawmakers still loyal to the party.

Wike stated this on Friday while addressing journalists after inspecting the ongoing construction of an interchange bridge connecting Maitama, Gishiri, Jahi, and Gwarimpa in Abuja.

PUNCH Online reports that 16 lawmakers, including Speaker Martins Amaewhule, announced their defection from the PDP to the ruling All Progressives Congress during a plenary session of the Rivers State House of Assembly on Friday.

Citing divisions in the PDP as the reason for the defection, Amaewhule said he was now a member of the APC and would “join hands with Mr President,” noting that the President “means well for the country.”

Reacting, Wike described the development as “unfortunate,” adding that the party’s internal crisis contributed to the lawmakers’ exit.

“Well, it’s unfortunate. I have always said that everybody has the right to make a choice. The party is fully factionalised. And the requirement of the Constitution is that when a party is factionalised, they are allowed to leave the party.

“You will see that it’s not everybody who has left. I believe 16 or 17 of them have left out of 27. We still have a good number, about 10, and we will continue to work together. They never told me, but they have a right,” he said.

The former Rivers State Governor also stated that he remained in the PDP, urging the party to put its house in order.

“I’m still in the PDP. So those who have remained, we’ll continue to work together. And I have said to the party, put your house in order. Because at the end of the day, if you don’t put your house in order, it’s the party that will lose.

“And we still ask the party to work together to see how the remaining members will be a relevant opposition. But they chose not to. So for me, those who have left are free. But those who remain in the party, we will continue to work together,” he added.

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