Politics
PDP urges INEC to declare vacant, seats of its four defectors
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Kaduna State has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC to declare vacant, seats of its four serving lawmakers who have defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress.
The party decried that their defection which was not as a result of crisis was a betrayal of trust, stating that the declaration of vacancy of the seats would be justice done to the party.
CAPITAL POST reports that three members of the House of Assembly and a member of the House of Representatives dumped the party for the All Progressives Congress, APC.
The party stated that the INEC should declare their seats vacant, stating that it was appropriate in the face of brazen betrayal of trust that the electorate in Kaduna placed on them when they werfe voted into offices on the platform of PDP.
The State Publicity of PDP in Kaduna State, Maria Dogo, on Sunday made available to journalists noted that the defection of the lawmakers to APC was unacceptable and unconstitutional, asking them to vacate their seats with immediate effect.
Citing Sections 68(1)(g) and 109 of the Constitution, which stated that serving legislators who defect to another party must vacate their seats, the PDP urged the Speakers of the House of Representatives and the Kaduna State House of Assembly to declare the seats of the four lawmakers vacant and notify INEC to conduct bye-elections.
“While we acknowledge the constitutional rights of every Nigerian to freedom of association, we view these defections as unacceptable.
“Consequently, we assure the people of Kaduna State, particularly those from the affected constituencies, that the PDP leadership will invoke the provisions of the constitution to recover our mandates, as there is no division or split in our party leadership at the national level,” the party stated.
The party said it remained unshaken by the defections and also the preferred choice of the vast majority of the people of Kaduna State.
