*It is a political persecution, says PDP
Hammed Shittu in Ilorin
The Kwara State House of Assembly has sacked two members of the parliament over their recent defection from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the opposition, Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) in the state.
Consequently, the house has declared the seats of the two affected lawmakers vacant with immediate effect.
The two affected lawmakers Hon. Saba Yisa Gideon of Edu State Constituency and Hon. Olusola Odetundun of Irepodun State Constituency recently dumped the APC for the PDP and later picked the tickets of their respective state constituencies for 2027 elections.
However, at a sitting of the state House of Assembly Tuesday, a letter from the APC State Chairman, Mr. Sunday Fagbemi, addressed to the Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Salihu Yakubu Danladi, was read on the floor of the house on the defection of the two lawmakers.
The letter, however, requested vacation of the seats of the two lawmakers in accordance with Section 109 (1g) (2) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended.
The letter stated that since the two members were elected under the APC and there was no division within the party, they have no constitutional right to abandon the party for another.
Leading the debate on the request, the Leader of the House, Hon. Abdulkadir Oba Magaji, emphasized that the matter is constitutional, as outlined in Section 109 (1g) of the Constitution, which stipulates that a member shall not belong to another party than the one that brought him to power, as long as his tenure has not yet expired.
He noted that the two concerned Hon. members have left the APC for the PDP and are seeking reelection to their seats in the opposition party, a development that contravenes the Constitution.
The Leader supported the request that their seats be declared vacant in accordance with the law.
Other lawmakers who spoke in favour of the vacation included Hon. Abolarin Ganiyu Gabriel of Ekiti Constituency, Hon. Ganiyu Folabi Salahu of Omupo Constituency, and Hon. Oguniyi David Sheun of Ojomu/Balogun Constituency.
The Speaker of the House, Hon. Salihu Yakubu Danladi, therefore declared the seats of the two defecting members vacant in accordance with Section 109 (1) (g) (2) of 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended.
Meanwhile, the opposition, PDP in the state has described the sacking of the two lawmakers that left APC for PDP as illegal and unconstitutional.
A statement issued in Ilorin on Tuesday signed by the Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. Olusegun Olusola Adewara also described the move as political persecution.
The statement warned that sacking the two affected lawmakers over their political affiliation would deprive their constituents of effective representation.
According to the party, “Our party considers such a move a dangerous descent into political intolerance and an unacceptable attempt to weaponise the legislature against elected representatives whose only apparent offence is the exercise of their political choice”.
The opposition party acknowledged the constitutional powers of the House of Assembly to regulate its internal affairs under Section 101 of the 1999 Constitution, but stressed that such powers must be exercised within the limits of the Constitution and democratic principles.
It warned that any suspension based solely on their defection would amount to using legislative authority to settle partisan political scores while denying the people of the two constituencies their voices on the floor of the Assembly.