Falana explains what will happen to Rivers lawmakers whose seats were declared vacant

Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, and Human Rights lawyer, Femi Falana, has weighed in on the crisis rocking the Rivers State Assembly.

The foremost constitutional lawyer said the Rivers state lawmakers whose seats were declared vacant were unexposed to sound legal advice.

Falana made this assertion in an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday, December 13.

According to the senior lawyer, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is required by law to conduct elections for the seats of the lawmakers and once the Supreme Court rules on any matter, it is final and the lawmakers will have to comply, Vanguard reported.

He added that declaring the defected lawmakers seats vacant in the Rivers Assembly, was in line with Nigeria's constitution.

Falana explained thus:

“The legislators were not exposed to sound legal advice. Everybody should know that once the Supreme Court has made a pronouncement on a matter in any country, you’re bound to comply, and if you’re going to take any decision, you must study the judgement critically.

“Just yesterday, 20 legislators who defected from the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, to the All Progressives Congress, APC, had their seats declared vacant by the court. That’s the law; unless the Supreme Court decides to change it, that is the law in Nigeria today.

“It’s also a good development; it’s a good law; it’s a good interpretation that there should be no political prostitution in the country because it’s tantamount to political immorality if you vote on the platform of a political party and you abandon the party; you’re advised to go and try your luck by contesting again under the new political party.”

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the Rivers political crisis took a new turn on Wednesday morning, December 13, as at least 10 bulldozers moved to the state assembly complex and started demolishing the building.

This came as Ehie led other lawmakers loyal to Governor Siminalayi Fubara to hold plenary in the early morning before the demolition.