The factional speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Edison Ehie, has declared the seats of 27 members who recently defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) vacant.
The decision was made on Wednesday morning during a sitting presided over by Ehie himself, coinciding with the state government’s ongoing demolition of the Assembly complex.
The location of the sitting is said to be inside the government house in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
This development follows Monday’s mass defection of the 27 members, led by Martin Amaewhule, a factional speaker loyal to former governor Nyesom Wike.
The 32-member assembly has been embroiled in a leadership dispute since October, with two rival factions vying for control.
Adding to the turmoil, a High Court in Port Harcourt recently confirmed Ehie as the legitimate speaker on Tuesday. The court also restrained Wike’s supporters from accessing the Assembly complex until renovation ordered by the state government is completed.
