Fatimah Otunsanya
Sixteen members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, led by Speaker Martin Amaewhule, have defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress.
Amaewhule announced the lawmakers’ decision during plenary on Friday, citing what he described as a “division” within the PDP as the reason for their defection.
He told lawmakers he had formally notified his ward chairman of his exit from the PDP, adding that he had already joined the APC.
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 All Progressives Congress is issued to me in no time.
But as I speak today, I am a member of the All Progressives Congress. 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.”
Amaewhule praised President Bola Tinubu’s leadership, saying the President “means well for Nigeria’’ and had shown “love to Rivers State.”
He added that supporting the President from inside the APC was now the lawmakers’ priority, insisting that internal divisions within the PDP made their continued membership untenable.
Since late 2023, Rivers State has been engulfed in a prolonged political rift between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and lawmakers loyal to his predecessor, Nyesom Wike.
Amaewhule leads the faction seen as loyal to Wike, and the Assembly has made several moves, including attempted impeachment, that escalated tensions.
The internal crisis has also spawned conflicting court rulings on the legitimacy of the Amaewhule-led Assembly, with different judgments at various times recognising either Amaewhule or Edison Ehie (now Chief of Staff to Governor Fubara) as Speaker.
At the national level, the PDP has continued to grapple with internal fractures, including long-running disputes involving Wike and the party leadership.
The lawmakers’ reference to “division” in the PDP aligns with a trend of alignments and defections triggered by the party’s unresolved internal battles.