Rivers State's ongoing political drama has taken an interesting turn, with 27 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly defecting from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Enemi George, a member of the Assembly, confirmed to Channels Television that the 27 lawmakers were led by Martin Amaewhule.
He stated that the decision was made during their Monday morning meeting. For weeks, Amaewhule and another member, Edison Ehie, have been feuding over the Speakership. Amaewhule is said to be loyal to ex-governor Nyesom Wike, whereas Ehie is said to be loyal to Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
The Assembly, led by Amaewhule, served an impeachment notice on the governor in October and removed Ehie as House leader. However, some Assembly members loyal to Fubara immediately impeached Amaewhule and appointed Ehie as the new Speaker.
The division between Fubara and his predecessor, Wike, who is now the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), sparked the crisis in the 32-member Assembly.
Though the two politicians have both attended the same public events in recent weeks and everything appeared to be settled, the recent defection of 27 lawmakers from the PDP to the APC suggests that more drama in the state's political arena may ensue.
