Acoalition of civil society organisations in Rivers State has dragged the Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, and the House of Assembly members to court over the defection of the lawmakers from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress.

The Chairman, Rivers Civil Society Organisation, Enefa Georgewill, told our correspondent that the coalition is asking the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt to interpret section 109 of the Constitution, as to whether the lawmakers should still retain their seats after having defected from the political party that sponsored their election.

Georgewill questioned the intention of the lawmakers in modifying certain laws of the state and why they had to change the law after having enacted the same laws to empower the former governor, Nyesom Wike.

He said; “The civil societies in Rivers State have just empowered six civil society groups to take the Rivers State House of Assembly, Governor and other parties to court, asking the court to declare the 27 lawmakers seats vacant.

“We are saying this because their seats have remained vacant after they left the party that sponsored them to the House for another party.

“We are here to ask the court to interpret Section 109 that has said that where you decamp to another political party, you have lost your seat.

“We have examples in other states such as in Cross Rivers and Ebonyi states. We are very confident that no matter the rumoured intimidation, the rumoured threats, that the court is going to agree with us.

“We are equally using this opportunity to warn the Rivers State Governor not to dare re-present the budget to the embattled lawmakers because he is also a party in this matter, and it would be a case of contempt of court is he does that”.

Georgewill argued that even the President had no right to interfere with matters in court.

“Everybody, including the governor and lawmakers should stay put and allow the court to interpret the laws,” he said, adding that the court could not sit on Monday due to the ongoing conference of judges in Abuja.

“Most of the laws being amended by the House of Assembly members are good laws. But most of the lawmakers are only being honest by half. They were the same members that made the laws that empowered the former governor, Wike to be come a tyrant.

“So, we are asking; what now changed? We remember those days when civil societies were raising alarms about those laws they changed.

“In the face of this, we are begging the court to hear this matter speedily,” he said. (Channels TV)

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