Another storm makes landfall in Rivers, unleashes shockwaves along its political shoreline

° 27 lawmakers exit PDP;
°  join the All Progressives Congress;
° As dark clouds hover overhead
° And National Assembly members prepare to dump Sim

By PHC Telegraph

Another storm, more devastating than the first has made its landfall, raising serious shockwaves along the political shoreline of the Rivers State.

The storm, predicted by some after the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike did a solo dance, made its entry Monday.

Recall that the first political storm hit the Rivers State House of Assembly, leaving the legislative Chamber in tatters.

This time  27 lawmakers, representing an overwhelming majority have dumped the PDP for the  APC.

The lawmakers who emerged from their sitting at the Assembly Complex, waving APC flags, said they had left the party for good.

Martins Amaewhule, Speaker of the House presided over the session and all the lawmakers who turned out Monday morning unanimously  voted to dump the vehicle which had brought them to power months back for the APC.

It was evident from Monday’s event that the Consolidation team, unable to resist the shockwaves ignited by the political catastrophe that struck weeks ago has torn apart.

The movement of the lawmakers which came as a complete surprise in the wake of a legal tussle that has engulfed the State House of Assembly turned the Rivers PDP into a minority on the floor of the House.

The Nigerian Constitution allows members of political parties, including elected representatives to take destiny into their own hands when crisis breaks out within their political platforms.

That aspect of the Constitution has not been repealed.

The lawmakers who acknowledged that the PDP is going through crisis said they could no longer remain part of a broken political family.

Not many in the State took note of the message that the appointment of Tony Okocha as the Chairman of the newly constituted Caretaker Committee of the APC sent.

They also did not see the handwriting on the wall after Ambassador Desmond Akawor, State Chairman of the PDP who took up a federal appointment resigned and handed over to his deputy

With the exit of the group of 27 in the House, it is now obvious that a political solution that some people had hoped for has clearly evaporated.

As things are the PDP will control the executive arm of government while the APC will have a commanding control of the law making arm.

The declaration of the lawmakers for the APC apparently indicates that Wike’s political structure is on its way out of the PDP.

Many may be looking at the political scenario in Rivers State, but Wike has built structures across the nation on the road to the last PDP convention.

The implication is that the PDP might be hit by Wike’s battering ram in the months to come if utmost care is not taken.

For now, most Rivers people are in shock

It will not be the first time this will happen. Under the Jonathan era, a similar scene played out.

Governor Rotimi Amaechi led aggrieved members of the PDP to join a broad coalition that formed the APC.

It is as if history is about to repeat, given events that are playing out. Most PDP members in Rivers State are speechless.

As things are, this will be a moment of decision making for most members of the PDP.

In the meantime, a fight for the control of the Rivers grassroots will likely ensue.

Who will have the upper hand? Will it be Sim or will it be Wike? Who will have control of the security apparatus? Will it be Wike or will it be Sim?

The Port Harcourt Telegraph predicts that the major test of will for the political gladiators will be during the forthcoming local government elections.

For the first time, looking at the Rivers political climate and the strength of the gladiators, actual elections at the grassroots is most likely.

With only four lawmakers in his kitty, Sim definitely has many rivers to cross in the months ahead.

Yet it is important to note as one observer put it that the lines of politics do not fall in exactly the same manner like the lines of mathematics.

What is not clear is whether the lawmakers who filed a notice of impeachment will abandon their quest to remove the governor now that they have moved to the APC.

It is also not clear if Fubara will approach the State Assembly  any time soon, clutching the 2024 Appropriation Bill.

As at the time of this report, there has been no official reaction either from the Rivers State Government or Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

Already, there are speculations in some quarters that representatives of the State  at the national level may follow the footsteps of their colleagues in the Rivers State House of Assembly.