The membership status of the 27 Rivers State House of Assembly members who recently left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to join the All Progressives Congress (APC) has not been officially recognized by the ruling party, according to the All Progressives Congress States Assembly Forum (ASAF).
After an emergency meeting in Abuja on Tuesday evening, ASAF decided against immediately admitting the Rivers lawmakers into the APC, citing ongoing legal challenges against the former PDP members. ASAF’s Director General, Ambassador Fubara Dagogo, expressed appreciation for the lawmakers’ decision to join the APC but clarified that recognition would only occur after the conclusion of the court cases next year.
Dagogo emphasized that ASAF would welcome the 27 lawmakers and other state defectors but insisted that it must be done under a credible and transparent process. The Director General had previously called on President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the conflict in Rivers State, commending the recent efforts by the President to restore harmony in the state.
Further details revealed that ASAF would deliberate on admitting the 27 Rivers lawmakers into its forum during a meeting scheduled for February 18, 2024, ahead of its planned retreat in Geneva, Switzerland. The organization expressed support and trust in the National Chairman of the APC, former Kano State Governor Abdullah Umar Ganduje, and the National Working Committee (NWC), acknowledging the party’s growth under his leadership.
Contradictory reports and denials have emerged regarding the purported agreement reached and signed by different factions in Rivers State, facilitated by President Tinubu. The agreement aimed to resolve the ongoing dispute, leading to the defection of 27 members of the state House of Assembly from the PDP to the APC. In response, the governor’s faction declared the seats vacant, triggering a legal challenge by the defected lawmakers.
