According to Festus Ogwuche, a legal expert, the 25 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly who defected under Amaewhule's leadership cannot return to their seats under the current circumstances.
Furthermore, he insisted that they are unable to go back to their previous roles because of it.
Ogwuche stressed in an interview with Arise News that the MPs' departure is a voluntary resignation from their seats, as stated in the Constitution.
He went on to say that they have formally relinquished their positions.
In his remarks, Ogwuche made it clear that the House of Assembly cannot function with just three members.
"The status quo as it is currently does not state that the 25 members of the Rivers House of Assembly led by Amaewhule can go back to their seats or revert to their position," Festus Ogwuche said in a video where he made the statement (13:22). So far as we can tell, the current situation is that they have abandoned ship, defected, and the constitution recognises this.