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By Emmanuel Adeleke
The ongoing political drama in Rivers State has taken another interesting turn as 27 out of 32 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly have dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for All Progressives Congress (APC).
A member of the Assembly, Enemi George, disclosed that the 27 lawmakers were under the leadership of Rt. Hon. Martin Amaewhule, the faction loyal to FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.
According to George, the decision was taken during their sitting on Monday morning.
Recall that Amaewhule and the former majority leader of the assembly, Edison Ehie, have been embroiled in a Speakership tussle.
Ehie is the leader of the four lawmakers in the camp of Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
The assembly under Amaewhule had in October served an impeachment notice on the governor and removed Ehie as the majority leader. However, some members of the assembly loyal to Fubara immediately impeached Amaewhule and made Ehie the new Speaker.
The crisis in the 32-member Assembly had begun as a result of a rift between Fubara and his predecessor, Wike.
Though the two politicians have both attended same public events in the last few weeks and all seemed to have been settled, but with Monday’s defection of 27 lawmakers from PDP to the APC, more drama might unfold in the state’s political arena.