Sacked Ebonyi Lawmakers in Panic as PDP Gives Conditions For Accepting Them

Ebonyi State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said that it will not accept the 15 members of the state House of Assembly whose seats were declared vacant by an Abuja Federal High Court for defecting to the All Progressives Congress (APC) as lawmakers.

The party said it will only welcome the former PDP lawmakers as ordinary members of the party. Publicity Secretary of the party, Chika Nwoba, stated this while speaking with New Telegraph in Abakaliki, the state capital.

He noted that the party’s doors were wide open to receive the 15 sacked lawmakers, but that they would only re-register into the party as ordinary members.

“Our door is permanently open, but not coming as members of the House of Assembly. A court has removed them, so, if they have to rejoin the PDP, they will re-join the party and we will welcome them because we don’t even have the powers to reject anybody so long as that person doesn’t fall short of the constitutional requirements as regards belonging to a political party of his or her choice.

“So, what we will do is that when the former lawmakers come, they will be ordinary members of the party, they will join as ordinary members as new entrants into the party. It is incumbent upon the state working committee of SEC to consider whatever aspiration they are coming into the party with.

But for now, let them join the party first, they remain APC members until they come and register with the PDP in Ebonyi State. We have to admit them, but not admitting them as automatic members of the House, not welcoming them back as House of Assembly members, no. They will now have to come and queue as ordinary members of the party first and foremost.

Then, the party will now sit and say okay, since they have joined, maybe in the next election, they will pick forms and recontest, but in the condition of restoring them into the House, no, it is not done, we are not going to do that,” he said.