The seat were declared vacant by a group of lawmakers led by a factional Speaker loyal to Governor Siminalari Fubara, Edision Ehie.

He said, "This house receives correspondences on the 25 members of the State of Assembly, on their formal defection from the PDP to the APC and we have also confirmed this through videos posted.

"We are aware it is the right of everybody to that freedom of association. while we respect that constitutional right, we are also mindful, as a legislative Assembly, of our allegiance to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended, and our oath of office to defend the constitution which is the as the grundnorm of the country, and the authority from which every other laws derives its power.

"Therefore, as a legislative Assembly with leadership, I am aware the actions of these Honourable members, colleagues of the House who have on suspension, is a gross violation of the constitution which provides that members of the State assembly shall only defect to another party other than the platform on which they are elected, when there's crisis in the parent party.

"We are aware that there is no division or crisis in our great party, PDP, and therefore, the section 109 (1)(g) of the Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria attracts vacation of seats of these Honourable members of the House.

"Distinguished colleagues, we are aware that from the National leaderhips of the PDP, there's no crisis, there's no division as we have only one national chairman, only one National Working Committee, one National Executive Committee and one Board of Trustees.

"And in Rivers State, we have one executive committee led by Chukwuemeka as acting Chairman...clearly there is no crisis inConsequenly

"Consequently, the House, having deliberated formally on the motion before it in line with out standing order and the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended, I hereby declare the seat of the following members of the Rivers State House of Assembly vacant:"

Details later...