Defection Of Abia Rep: PDP Kicks, Wants INEC To Conduct Fresh  Election

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

The Abia State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to immediately  declare the seat of Hon Chris Nkwonta vacant.

Hon Nkwonta representing the Ukwa West/East Federal Constituency at the House of Representatives on the platform of the PDP, on Wednesday, October, 2, 2024 defected to the All Progressive Congress, APC ..

According to the letter of defection as read by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt Hon Tajudeen Abbas, the defecting Lawmaker cited division within his party, the PDP, as reason for his action.

Instructively, he has since been rewarded for the political somersault with the House Committee Chairmanship of the newly created South East Development Commission SEDC.

But the Abia PDP in a statement issued by its Media Adviser, Jude Ndukwe, urged the National Electoral Umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to take steps to conduct a fresh election to feel the  vacant seat.

The Abia PDP rejected claims of existence of factions and or crisis within the Party.

“Following the decision of Hon Chris Nkwonta, the representative of the Ukwa East/Ukwa West Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, to defect from the PDP to the APC on the floor of the House on Wednesday, October 2, 2024, the PDP in Abia State, hereby, calls on INEC to immediately comply with the provisions of the Nigeria Constitution by declaring the seat vacant and conduct a new election within the constitutionally stipulated time to replace the defected member.

“This call is for the body to comply with the provisions of section 68(1) (g) &(2) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria ( as amended ) since Hon Nkwonta’s defection did not meet the conditions precedent to the defection of a Federal Law maker as provided by our laws ..”the Abia PDP stated

According to the Party spokesperson, “it is clear that the PDP has no factions either at the Federal or State level, a situation which renders Nkwonta’s defection illegal.

The Source reports that after having its 24 years stranglehold on  Abia broken in 2023, the PDP  has been plagued by many high profile defections including former top Government functionaries.

But the Party’s leadership has insisted that there is no cause for alarm, as it is on weight shedding exercise.