Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara has raised concerns about the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) handling of political defections, accusing the electoral body of selectively applying the law and questioning its neutrality.
Speaking at the sixth annual Freedom Online lecture in Lagos, Fubara, represented by former Deputy Governor Tele Ikuru, emphasized that INEC had failed to enforce constitutional provisions regarding lawmakers who defect from the political party under which they were elected.
According to the Nigerian constitution, lawmakers who switch allegiance from their original party are supposed to lose their seats.
“The Independent National Electoral Commission has failed to uphold the law concerning political defections. According to the constitution, lawmakers who defect from the party on whose platform they were elected should lose their seats.
However, INEC has been selective in enforcing this rule, raising questions about its neutrality. When institutions fail to do the needful, the rule of law is weakened, and democracy suffers,” Fubara stated.
Fubara’s comments come amid the ongoing political crisis in Rivers State, where 27 lawmakers loyal to former Governor Nyesom Wike defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2023.
This defection caused a deepening rift between Fubara and Wike, leading to a divided state legislature, with only four lawmakers remaining loyal to Fubara.
Following the defection, Fubara’s allies urged INEC to declare the seats of the defected lawmakers vacant and conduct by-elections to fill them. However, INEC has refused to act, citing that the matter is still before the courts.