Kwara Assembly Sacks Defecting Lawmakers, PDP Outraged

The Kwara State House of Assembly has officially declared the seats of two of its members, Hon. Saba Yisa Gideon of Edu Constituency and Hon. Olusola Odetundun of Irepodun Constituency, vacant. This decisive action was taken following their defection from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The decision by the House was prompted by a formal letter from the APC state chairman, Prince Sunday Fagbemi, addressed to the Speaker of the House, Engr. Salihu Yakubu-Danladi. In his letter, Fagbemi explicitly requested the vacation of the lawmakers' seats, citing Section 109(1)(g)(2) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended. He argued that since both members were elected under the APC platform and there was no discernible division within the party, they consequently lacked the constitutional right to abandon the party for another political entity.

During the House proceedings, the Leader of the House, Hon. Abdulkadir Magaji, took the lead in the debate surrounding the request. He underscored the constitutional nature of the matter, particularly referencing Section 109(1)(g) of the Constitution. Magaji further elaborated that Gideon and Odetundun had not only defected from the APC to the PDP but were also actively seeking re-election to their respective seats on the opposition party's platform. He asserted that this development directly contravened the provisions of the Constitution, thereby lending his full support to the APC chairman's request for the seats of the defecting lawmakers to be declared vacant in strict accordance with the law.

Following the debate and constitutional interpretations, the Speaker of the House, Engr. Yakubu Danladi-Salihu, formally declared the seats of Hon. Saba Yisa Gideon and Hon. Olusola Odetundun vacant. This declaration was made in strict adherence to Section 109(1)(g)(2) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended, solidifying the Assembly's position on the matter.

However, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) swiftly and vehemently rejected the declaration by the State House of Assembly. In a statement issued by its state publicity secretary, Olusegun Adewara, the party denounced the Assembly's action as politically motivated. The PDP characterized it as an unjustified attempt to punish the affected lawmakers for exercising their fundamental constitutional and political rights.

The PDP's statement highlighted its particular concern that the entire process was initiated solely on the basis of a letter from the APC state chairman, Prince Sunday Fagbemi, who is not a constituent from the constituencies represented by the affected lawmakers. The party criticized this, suggesting it effectively transformed the State House of Assembly into an extension of the APC’s internal disciplinary machinery. Furthermore, the PDP issued a direct challenge to the House, demanding that it publicly disclose the evidence presented before it and demonstrate that the stringent requirements of Section 109(2) of the 1999 Constitution were duly met and complied with before such a significant and consequential decision was taken.