The Peoples Democratic Party has officially declared the seat of Erhiatake Ibori-Suenu, representing Ethiope East/Ethiope West Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, vacant.
This move follows her recent defection from the PDP to the All Progressives Congress.
The party has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission to promptly initiate the process of organizing a by-election to fill the now vacant seat.
Ibori-Suenu’s defection, which was announced by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, during plenary on Thursday, cited leadership issues within the PDP as the primary reason for her decision to switch parties.
In response to her defection, the PDP issued a statement on Friday, signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba.
The statement emphasized that Ibori-Suenu is no longer a valid member of the House of Representatives and warned that her continued presentation as such could lead to charges of impersonation with potential legal consequences.
The PDP’s statement referenced Section 68(1)(g) of the Constitution of Nigeria, which stipulates that any member of the National Assembly who defects from the political party on whose platform they were elected shall automatically vacate their seat. According to the PDP, Ibori-Suenu’s defection to the APC has rendered her seat in the House of Representatives vacant.
The party further clarified that, under the Constitution, Ibori-Suenu has lost all rights, privileges, and obligations associated with her position in the House. The PDP also urged the National Assembly’s Sergeant-at-Arms to recognize that she is no longer a member of the House.
Additionally, the PDP called for INEC to conduct a fresh election within the constitutionally required time frame to fill the vacancy in the Ethiope East/Ethiope West Federal Constituency. The party also instructed its National Legal Adviser to take necessary legal action to ensure the protection of the mandate given to Ibori-Suenu by the people of her constituency, which was under the PDP’s platform.
The statement reads: “The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) demands that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), immediately commence processes to conduct a fresh election to fill the Federal Constituency seat in the House of Representatives which automatically became vacant by reason of the defection of Hon. Erhiatake Ibori-Suenu to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“It is settled in law that by her defection from the PDP, the political Party platform upon which she was elected into the House of Representatives, Hon. Ibori-Suenu willfully vacated the Ethiope East/Ethiope West Federal Constituency seat thus rendering it vacant by virtue of the self-executory provision of Section 68 (1) (g) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).
“For clarity, Section 68 (1) of the 1999 Constitution provides that “a member of the Senate or House of Representatives shall vacate his seat in the House of which he is a member if … (g) being a person whose election to the House 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…”
