By Johnson Eyiangho, Abuja

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has mocked the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), insisting that the 17 Rivers lawmakers who defected from the PDP had lost their membership of state House of Assembly.The PDP said in a statement by its Spokesman, Hon. Debo Ologunagba, that the manipulative plots by the APC to force itself into government in Rivers State against the will of the people is a “futile venture which will remain a mirage.

”Ologunagba said, “It is indeed pathetic for the APC to think that the facts and true import of Section 109 (1) (g) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) to the effect that the former lawmakers have since lost their seats can be muddled and lost in litigations and lengthy press statements. ”Interestingly, in the failed bid to subvert the Constitution to give the former members of the Rivers State House of Assembly a lifeline, the APC ended up admitting the clarity of the proviso of Section 109(1)(g) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) in voiding their seats upon their defection.”For the avoidance of doubt, Section 109 (1)(g) of the Constitution is clear in providing that a member of a House of Assembly shall vacate his seat in the House if – being a person whose election to the House of Assembly was sponsored by a political party, he becomes a member of another political party before expiration of the period for which that House was elected:“Provided that his membership of the latter political party is not as a result of a division in the political party of which he was previously a member or of a merger of two or more political parties or factions by one of which he was previously sponsored.”He said the former members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, for reasons best known to them, wittingly vacated and summarily lost their seats as nothing in the proviso protects or allows them to retain their membership of the Rivers State House of Assembly after decamping from the political party upon which they were elected.He said those former members have themselves to blame for constitutionally vacating their seats; a course which cannot be reversed or remedied, adding that they should admit their miscalculation and bear the inescapable consequences.”This is especially so as the Supreme Court, in the case of Abegunde vs Ondo State House of Assembly and Others, has since clarified and affirmed the import of the proviso in Section 109(1)(g) in validating the automatic vacation of a seat by a member of a Legislative House who defected from the party upon which he was elected into that House,” the PDP spokesman said.He said the APC should steer clear of Rivers State and perish the thoughts of forcefully taking over the state and stop seeking to reverse the irreversible.

Taraba State Government has described the lingering power outage in the Northeast region as an act of negligence on the part of the Federal Government.The Commissioner, Taraba State Ministry of Energy and Economic Development, Engr Naomi Tanko Agbu made the remark in Jalingo recently while she was briefing newsmen on the vandalization of four transmission 330 kV line towers along Jos-Gombe.

Engr Agbu charged the Federal Government to show accountability and tackle the issue which has now crippled activities in the states so that Nigerians can enjoy the basic amenities that are due to them. In her words, “I am deeply saddened by the recent disruption in electricity supply caused by the vandalization of four (4) transmission line towers along Jos-Gombe 330kV line on 22 April 2024. These senseless acts of sabotage have not only jeopardized the reliability of electrical infrastructure in the North-East region but have also resulted in widespread inconvenience and hardship for our community, plunging millions into blackout.”This issue is a federal matter and I want to assure you that we are taking this matter very seriously and we have been working tirelessly with the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) and Yola Electricity Distribution Company (YEDC) to address the situation. We have also contacted the Minister of Power, and we are yet to get positive feedback for the weeks of blackout to a state capital such as Jalingo in Nigeria.”The lengthy time to respond to this matter is concerning as it shows complete neglect by the FGN to Taraba state and the region. If there is one thing, we have all learnt in the past few days from the response time to faults and the priority of the heads in the sector, is that the network to the North-East region is vulnerable.”While reiterating the readiness of the state government to bring the citizens up to speed on their plans and efforts to ensure that power is restored to Jalingo, Hon Naomi said their priority is the restoration of electricity supply to affected areas quickly and in a safe manner.”I understand the frustration and inconvenience that this disruption has caused to all our dear residents. We as a Ministry waited in addressing the public until significant progress has commenced by the FGN, of which we have been informed that TCN has handed over the site to the contractor and restoration works have commenced.”The TCN contractor has already been mobilised to site and has commenced reconnection works with his teams. In addition to our immediate efforts of monitoring the restoration of electricity supply, YEDC has informed us on the measures that they are implementing to enhance the security and resilience of electrical infrastructure.”As a Ministry of Energy and Economic Development to Taraba state residents, I urge all of you to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities or individuals observed near transmission line towers or electrical facilities attempting to vandalise any infrastructure” She said.She enjoined sister states to also remain vigilant and take decisive actions by engaging the host communities of electrical infrastructure such as the TCN transmission lines and towers and also ensure that security is provided.

Mr Martin Amaewhule (Obio/Akpor 1), the factional Speaker of the Rivers House of Assembly, has accused Gov. Siminialayi Fubara of planning to demolish the residential quarters of the state House of Assembly.

Amaewhule made the remark in Port Harcourt in reaction to the governor’s recent inspection visit to the assembly residential quarters.

Fubara had told newsmen during the visit that he wanted to acsertain the state of the facility for possible rehabilitation.

Meanwhile, Amaewhule described the visit as ‘unannounced and an invasion’ on the residential premises of Rivers assemblymen.

”His plan is to demolish the quarters the way he did to some parts of the state assembly complex in 2023,” he said.

The factional speaker said that the governor’s move was purely political because the Rivers assembly residential quarter was still the best in the country.

”The residential quarters were built by the administration of former Gov. Nyesom Wike in 2022.

”There’s nothing wrong with the buildings. They are in perfect condition. We have not called on the governor for any form of help.

“The governor’s undue interference is one that is unbecoming of a sitting governor who is supposed to uphold the sanctity of the law,” he said

Amaewhule further accused Fubara of always carrying out actions that were against democratic norms and principles.

”His actions show that he had declared war on all politically elected people in the state,” he said.(NAN)