Edo Assembly declares PDP lawmaker’s seat vacant

The Edo State House of Assembly, led by Speaker Uyi Igbe, on Wednesday, declared the seat of Honourable Abdulrazak Momoh, member representing Etsako West I Constituency, vacant. The speaker, who made the pronouncement at a plenary held at the Old executive Chambers at the Government House, Benin City, said the affected lawmaker defected from the All Progressive Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), without following due process. He explained that session 109 (1g) of the 1999 constitution as amended, empowers the speaker to declare the seat of a lawmaker, upon defection to another party from the party he was elected. The speaker therefore called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to fill the vacant position within 90 days. In his reaction, however, Honourable Rasaq said it was regrettable that the assembly decided to be legislative on a matter that had been settled by the Supreme Court.