A Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has ruled that the 25 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, led by Rt. Hon. Martin Amaewhule, are still PDP members. In its ruling on Monday, the Court dismissed a claim filed by Wosa Amadi and three others seeking to declare the seats of 27 legislators vacant following their defection to the All Progressives Congress in December. In the decision, Justice Okogbule Gbasam ruled that Martin Amaewhule and the other 26 legislators remain PDP members.
Gbasam also ruled that the claimants failed to prove to the court that the 27 legislators truly defected to the APC, stating that such defection cannot be presented through publications, radio announcements, or online postings. The court ruled that a defection can only be established by the party membership register, a membership card, and the fulfilment of all party membership.