Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, on Friday defected from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to the All-Progressives Congress (APC) along with 15 other lawmakers.
The announcement was made during a plenary session of the Assembly in Port Harcourt.
Amaewhule said they left the PDP due to what he called a deepening internal crisis.
“We can no longer remain in a party where unresolved conflicts have made effective representation difficult,” he said.
Another lawmaker added that the PDP had failed to provide a stable environment for legislative work.
The defection is expected to intensify political tensions in the state, which has been struggling with factional disputes within the PDP. The party has yet to respond to the development.
