LAGOS OCTOBER 26TH (URHOBOTODAY)-The Rivers State elections petition tribunals sitting in Abuja have nullified the election of the Speaker, Owaji Ibani from Andoni constituency and 20 lawmakers in Rivers state house of assembly.
The nullification followed the earlier nullification of the election of the state governor, Nyesom Wike on Saturday, the 26th of October.
The lawmakers were elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party [PDP] on April 11, 2015, in an election marred by vote rigging and violence.
There are 32 state lawmakers in Rivers state with the election of 21 members nullified the state assembly will no longer form a quorum.
Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party has summoned an emergency meeting of its national caucus to discuss what it calls “onslaught against the party and its candidates in the last general elections, by the All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government”.
In a statement issued on Monday, the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, said the caucus would meet on Thursday, October 29.
He said talks would focus on “the unrelenting schemes by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its Federal Government to use some unpatriotic elements in the judiciary to advance their plot to take over states won by the PDP, particularly Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Delta, Taraba and Abia states”.
“The national caucus meeting is in furtherance of the decision of the leadership of the party to fully activate its structures in stiff resistance to the manipulations, coercions and threats of the APC-led government.
“In line with the unbending determination by the party not to, in any way whatsoever surrender any mandate freely given it to by the people at any level across the country, no matter the pressure,” the statement further read.