PDP Declares Ethiope East/ Ethiope West Rep Seat Vacant Following Defection to APC

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has declared vacant, the House of Representatives seat of Ethiope East/ Ethiope West occupied by Erhiatake Ibori-Suenu of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, who defected to the All Progressives Congress, APC.

In a press statement, the National Publicity Secretary, (NPS), of the PDP, Debo Ologunagba called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to commence the process of conducting fresh election to fill the Federal Constituency seat in the House of Representatives which automatically became vacant by reason of the defection of Erhiatake Ibori-Suenu to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

“It is settled in law that by her defection from the PDP, the political Party platform upon which she was elected into the House of Representatives, Hon. Ibori-Suenu willfully vacated the Ethiope East/Ethiope West Federal Constituency seat thus rendering it vacant by virtue of the self-executory provision of section 68 (1) (g) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).

“For clarity, section 68 (1) of the 1999 Constitution provides that “a member of the Senate or House of Representatives shall vacate his seat in the House of which he is a member if … (g) being a person whose election to the House was sponsored by a political Party, he becomes a member of another political party before the expiration of the period for which that House was elected…”

Ologunagba added that “With this unambiguous Constitutional provision and its clear interpretation by the Supreme Court, Hon. Ibori-Suenu has irredeemably lost her seat, rights, privileges, recognition and obligations accruable to a member of the House of Representatives”.

He said that by reason of her defection to the ruling APC, she ceases to be a member of the House of Representatives and parading herself in that capacity amounts to impersonation.

“The PDP calls on the National Assembly Sergeant-at-Arms to note that Hon. Ibori-Suenu has ceased to be a member of the House of Representatives”.

The NPS said the PDP will communicate with INEC, to, within the Constitutionally stipulated time, conduct fresh election to fill the vacancy which now exists in Ethiope East/Ethiope West Federal Constituency of Delta State as a result of the defection of Hon. Ibori-Suenu to the APC.

“The PDP also directs the National Legal Adviser to commence appropriate legal action to ensure that the votes and mandate of the people of Ethiope East/Ethiope West Federal Constituency of Delta State, which they freely gave to the PDP are protected and not appropriated by any person or any other political party under any guise or circumstance whatsoever”.

Defections to the APC by members of the National Assembly in Nigeria is becoming frequent just 20 months after they were elected on the platform of other political parties.

Emmanuel Ukoh