Two members of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Usoro Akpanuso, Member representing Esit Eket State Constituency and Hon. Asuquo Nana Udo, Member representing Ikono State Constituency, have lost their seats at the State Assembly following their defection from the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) to the Young Progressive Party (YPP).
Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Aniekan Bassey, who made the announcement during Tuesday’s plenary, cited Section 109 (1) (a-g) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) which guarantees the tenure of House of Assembly Members.
According to the Section, “Being a person whose election to the House of Assembly 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.”
“Provided that his membership of the latter political party is not as a result of a division in the political party of which he was previously a member or of a merger of two or more political parties or factions by one of which he was previously sponsored.”
The Speaker directed the Clerk of the House, Mrs Mandu Umoren, to communicate the order of the House to the appropriate authorities.
Tribune Online reliably gathered that, the Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Barr. Aniefiok Dennis said “the Rt. Hon. Speaker relied on the provisions of Section 109(1)(g) in declaring the seats vacant. He acted in compliance with extant law, since the affected Honourable Members abandoned their seats, given to them by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).”
On the issue of non-declaration of the seat of Mbo State Constituency occupied by Chief Effiong Johnson who defected from APC to PDP, it could be recalled that he (Effiong Johnson) stated specifically in his defection letter dated February 8, 2022, that his defection was predicated on factionalization of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from the National, States, Chapters and Wards, with several pending cases in court.
The House was later adjourned plenary to Thursday, October 13, 2022, by 10 am prompt.
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