Why we defected to APC, Rivers PDP lawmaker reveals

A member of the Rivers state house of assembly, Enemi Alabo, has explained why he and the other 26 People’s Democratic Party (PDP) lawmakers defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Alabo said internal divisions within the PDP is the primary reason why the lawmakers defected to the APC.

He stated this while speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, December 11.

He lamented over his inability to establish communication with the PDP secretariat because of the ongoing legal disputes related to the party’s secretaryship.

The lawmaker also pointed to the burning of the Rivers Assembly chambers and the intimidation suffered by members.

Alabo explained that the lawmakers collectively decided to defect to the APC due to the challenges mentioned.

He cited Section 109 of the constitution, which allows for a party switch in the presence of a perceived division.

“We have a division in the PDP. We have cases in court concerning the secretaryship of our party. We desperately tried to reach the secretariat of our party, and we could not. As I speak to you, I can’t tell you who the secretary of my party is,”

“If I can’t even have correspondence with my party, then what am I talking about? We’ve been in the eye of the storm for a few weeks now and since then, there has been no communication from my party at the national level. What kind of party is that?”

Alabo added that:

“Rivers State has been in the news. The House of Assembly has been grappling [with issues]; we’ve been bullied; we’ve been suppressed and repressed.

“Our chambers were burned down, and our members are being intimidated. The official residence of Mr. Speaker was brutally attacked by hired thugs.

“As I speak, there is no communication from the party that I called my party. And so, 27 members came together, and we said to ourselves that we could not continue like this.”