The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Wednesday, said that
its members in the Imo State House of Assembly, who recently defected to the
All Progressives Congress (APC) have lost their seats.
Members, who defected included Uche Ogbuagu of Ikeduru state
constituency, Eddy Obinna for Aboh-mbaise, Kennedy Ibeh of Obowo, Crown
Onyemaechi Njoku of Ihitte-Uboma, Kanayo Onyemaechi of Owerri west, Chiagozie
Nwaneri of Oru-east, Dominic Ezerioha of Oru-west and the speaker who
represents Isiala-Mbano state constituency.
But, addressing a press conference at the national
secretariat of the party in Abuja, its national spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan,
said their defection to the ruling party does not satisfy the provisions of the
constitution.
Ologbondiyan, who noted that there was no division in the
PDP or a merger with another political group, said their exit from the party
has created vacancies in their constituencies.
PDP, however, urged Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC) to begin a process of conducting a fresh election to elect
new representatives for the constituencies.
The party maintained if the commission fails to do the
needful, it would challenge the action in court.
The statement reads in part, ”PDP describes such action as
unpatriotic and an unpardonable betrayal of the people of their respective
constituencies who chose and identified with the ideal and visions of the PDP
as the platform for their representation at the state assembly.
”The defectors have indeed shown absolute lack of character,
failure of leadership capacity in moments of challenges and absence of faith to
stand with the people in their most trying moment, but are easily bought by
personal pecuniary and political interests.
”The 1999 Constitution (as amended), that a legislator who
decamps from a party upon which he was elected a member of a legislative house
automatically losses his or her membership.
”The vacation of seat, as a direct consequence of decamping
to another political party other than the party upon which one was elected to
occupy a seat in the legislature, is clear and unambiguous under section 109
(1) (g) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
”For the avoidance of doubt, section 109 (1)(g) provides
that “a member of the House of Assembly SHALL VACATE his seat in the House if
…(g) being a person whose election to the House of Assembly by a political
party Official PDP Nigeria, he becomes a member of another political party
before the expiration of the period for which that House was elected:
”The Constitution went further to state “provided that his
membership of the latter political party is not as a result of a division in
the political party of which he was previously a member or of a merger of two
or more political parties or factions by one of which he was previously
sponsored.
”Consequent upon the above constitutional provisions, these
defectors have vacated their seats, they no longer have a place in the state
assembly, as there is no division or merger of any kind in the PDP at any level
whatsoever.
”PDP is therefore left with no other option than to request
the @inecnigeria to immediately commence the processes for the conduct of fresh
elections into the respective state constituencies where the legislators have
vacated their seats, in line with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution.
”PDP calls on our teeming members and supporters in Imo
state to remain calm and focused at this trying time as the national leadership
proceeds with arrangements ahead of fresh elections in the affected
constituencies.
”Moreover, the national leadership assures the people of Imo
state that processes are already on towards achieving a judicial review and
reversal of the defective judgment of the Supreme Court, on the Imo state
governorship election.”
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
Kola Ologbondiyan seem to me like a mad man ranting ofaka. Is it not in Nigeria that we saw the likes of Governor Ortom, a sting Governor moving from one party to another as it pleases him, or the likes of Bukola Saraki a sitting Senate president voted on the platform of the ruling party defecting to the opposition.
ReplyDeleteKola should tell Nigerians if they lost their seats and if there was a call for bye election.
Foolish Polticians
@ Olatunde. You just spoke my mind. I wonder many times if this people have brain or they thing Nigerian don't have brain like them.
ReplyDelete