The All Progressives Congress (APC) States Assembly Forum (ASAF) has disowned the 27 Rivers State House of Assembly members who recently defected from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Speaking at the end of the meeting, yesterday, Director General of the forum, Fubara Dagogo, said the forum deliberated much on the development in Rivers State House of Assembly and agreed that it would not be in a hurry to admit the defected lawmakers as members since their defection is still being challenged at the court.

Dagogo, who however welcomed the decision of the lawmakers to embrace the APC, said ASAF will be ready to accept them as well as other defectors from other states, but insisted that it must be done under a credible and transparent situation.

The Director General, who had earlier pleaded with president Bola Tinubu to save the nation’s democracy by intervening in the Rivers state crisis, appreciated the recent move by the president to restore peace in the state.

Dagogo however disclosed that ASAF will deliberate further and probably admit the 27 lawmakers into it’s forum when it meets again on February 18, 2024, ahead of its planned Geneva retreat in Switzerland.

The forum which also sued for peace in Rivers state, admonished the citizens to remain calm, just as he advised the Governor, Simi Fubara and other political stakeholders in the state to key into the bold move by the president and works towards restoring a lasting peace and solution to the crisis.

He saluted and gave a vote of confidence on the National chairman of the ruling All Poo Progressives Congress (APC) National Working Committee (NWC), former Kano state Governor, Abdullah Umar Ganduje, while noting that his leadership style has continued to add to the popularity of the ruling party which has continued to attract more defectors and membership to the APC.

“The defected 27 lawmakers from Rivers state are not yet members of ASAF. We will not be in a hurry to admit them because their matters are still pending in the courts. ASAF will be

Open, ready and happy to admit them into the forum, just as we believe our party, the APC will be happy to accept many other defectors, including Governor Fubara Dagogo and former Governor Nyesom Wike into the party, but all these must be done without any form of prejudice.

“We appreciate the efforts of our president Bola Tinubu to call the warring factions in Rivers state to order having earlier pleaded with him to swiftly intervene in the crisis and save our democracy from collapsing. We salute Mr President for his fatherly role in returning peace to Rivers state,” he said. (Daily Sun)

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