06 January 2014

Fear grips PDP senators over planned defection

PALPABLE fear appeared to have gripped aggrieved senators of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who had planned to follow the footsteps of their colleagues in the lower chamber by defecting to the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), sources in the Senate have confirmed.

The aggrieved senators had, at the height of the crisis rocking the party, announced that 22 of them were set to defect to the APC, in a bid they believed could turn the tide in the upper chamber.

Though the aggrieved lawmakers had gone to court with 22 names, 12 of the listed names had disowned the suit seeking to stop PDP and the Senate from declaring their seats vacant.

It was learnt that the development had thrown spanners into the works of the aggrieved senators, who had wanted to announce their defection alongside that of the members of the House of Representatives.

It was gathered that the senators bent on defecting were now 10 in number and if they so declared, the leadership of PDP and the Senate would go ahead to declare their seats vacant. Contd...


“There is apprehension among the senators planning to defect as of now. They are afraid that immediately they announce their defection, the Senate would just declare their seats vacant, because they no longer have the number to alter the leadership structure of the Senate.

“Twelve of the names they are parading have disowned the planned defection and clearly confirmed to the Senate that they are not moving. Right now, they may be able to raise not more than 10 senators and that would mean that the leadership of the chamber remains intact.

“In that case, Senate President, David Mark, will not hesitate to declare their seats vacant, in line with the demands of the party and the law,” a source said.

The source added that the Senate would rely on legal opinion already in place to make the declaration.

It was gathered that the National Assembly would rely on concluded cases in court, which affirmed that there was no division in PDP, as well as the position of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which affirmed the same.

The Senate, it was also gathered, would rely on the position of the Supreme Court, which awarded the governorship seat of Rivers State to Rotimi Amaechi in 2007, based on the fact that he was the recognised candidate of the party.

“Such a ruling had affirmed that only a political party can sponsor candidates for elections and that the electorate vote for a party and its manifesto and not necessarily the candidate,” a source stated.

Source:
Tribune

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