Twenty-seven members of the Rivers State House of Assembly who recently defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) have cited internal division within the party as their primary reason.
In individual letters addressed to the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Martin Chike Amaewhule, and read on the floor of the House, the lawmakers attributed their decision to the ongoing tussle for the position of the National Secretary of the PDP. They argued that the dispute has created confusion and hampered communication channels within the party.
According to the lawmakers, the ongoing dispute over the position has fueled a legal battle within the PDP, with various members filing lawsuits in different courts. This, according to the defecting lawmakers, has created “confusion” and “sharply divided the party.”
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The mass defection comes amid a simmering power struggle between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, the current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.
Analysts believe the lawmakers’ move is linked to their loyalty to Wike and his efforts to maintain “his political structure” in Rivers State.
Recall that during a recent meeting with traditional rulers, Governor Fubara declared that he would not “surrender our mandate and progress to intimidation, blackmail and deliberate sabotage”. Meanwhile, Wike, speaking on the escalating political crisis in November, vowed to do whatever it takes to protect his political influence in the state.
“Fubara is importing the crisis through his actions,” Wike said. “Let me tell you – I don’t like ingrates. I can’t stand it. What is happening now (in Rivers) is what Odili said in his book: ‘Give a man power and money, then you will know the person.’ If you haven’t given manpower and money then you don’t know the person.”
