The Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Victor Oko-Jumbo, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission to conduct by-elections to fill the 27 vacant seats of defected members in the State House of Assembly.

The Speaker stated that the renewed call is pertinent since the legal impediment previously preventing INEC from conducting the by-elections has been removed.

He made the call on Friday during a press conference in Port Harcourt, the state capital.

Oko-Jumbo noted that it is common public knowledge that factional Speaker Martin Amaewhule and the other 26 lawmakers of the Assembly defected on their own accord on December 11, 2023, from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress without any justifiable cause, adding that the defection followed the former lawmakers? failed attempt to impeach Governor Siminalayi Fubara on October 30, 2023.

He said, ?To frustrate the Independent National Electoral Commission from conducting by-elections to fill the vacated seats in the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martin Chike Amaewhule and 26 others filed Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1681/2023 against INEC and four others on December 13, 2023.

?Subsequently, an order of interlocutory injunction was secured, restraining INEC from conducting by-elections to fill the 27 vacant seats in the Rivers State House of Assembly. After filing the said suit and securing the order of interlocutory injunction, Martin Chike Amaewhule and 26 others began to foot-drag and did not diligently prosecute their suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

?The only impediment to INEC conducting by-elections to fill the 27 vacant seats in the Rivers State House of Assembly was the order of interlocutory injunction restraining INEC from conducting a bye-election.

?Now that Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1681/2023 has been struck out, and the order of interlocutory injunction is also spent. Accordingly, as the Rt Honourable Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, I call on INEC to forthwith conduct by-elections to fill the 27 vacant seats in the Rivers State House of Assembly,? he said. (The PUNCH)

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