The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said it will immediately go to court to remove the Martin Amaewhule-led lawmakers from the Rivers State House of Assembly after they announced—again—that they were leaving the PDP for the APC.
In a strongly worded statement signed by the PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, the party described the lawmakers’ latest declaration as a “political joke.” The PDP noted that this same group had previously announced their defection, later denied it, and are now doing it again. According to the party, the lawmakers are simply following the orders of their “paymaster.”
The PDP called them “political puppets” and “enemies of democracy,” saying their actions have turned the Rivers Assembly into a laughingstock. The party also mocked the situation, saying it looks like “defection from APC to APC,” since the lawmakers already publicly aligned with the APC long ago.
The PDP insisted that any lawmaker elected on its platform in 2023 cannot keep their seat after openly joining another party. It said it will rely on Section 109 of the 1999 Constitution to retrieve those mandates and prevent “political jobbers” from occupying seats meant for the PDP.
The party urged members in Rivers State to stay calm, assuring them that it is working to rebuild the state chapter based on fairness, inclusiveness, and equity.
This issue comes shortly after the PDP’s National Working Committee, led by Tanimu Turaki, confirmed the expulsion of former Rivers Governor and current FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, along with ten others, during the party’s turbulent November 2025 National Convention in Ibadan.
A public notice signed by the National Chairman also warned that Wike and the expelled members no longer speak for or represent the PDP in any way.
