Kwara Assembly Declares Two Lawmakers’ Seats Vacant Over PDP Defection

The Kwara State House of Assembly has declared the seats of two lawmakers vacant after they left the All Progressives Congress for the Peoples Democratic Party.

The affected lawmakers are Saba Yisa Gideon, who represents Edu Constituency, and Olusola Odetundun, who represents Irepodun Constituency. The decision was taken during plenary on Tuesday after the state APC chairman, Sunday Fagbemi, wrote to the Speaker, Salihu Yakubu-Danladi.

Daily Post, Premium Times and Punch reported that Fagbemi asked the Assembly to apply Section 109(1)(g) of the 1999 Constitution, arguing that the lawmakers were elected on the APC platform and could not keep their seats after moving to the PDP when there was no division in their former party.

The House Leader, Abdulkadir Oba Magaji, led the debate and said the request raised a constitutional issue for the Assembly. Punch reported him as saying the two lawmakers had left the APC for the PDP and were seeking reelection on the opposition party’s platform.

After debate, the Assembly resolved that the seats should be declared vacant. The decision opens another political fight in Kwara ahead of the next election cycle, with the ruling party moving to enforce its reading of the constitutional defection rule.

Sources: Daily Post, Premium Times, Punch