The Speaker of Ebonyi State House of Assembly Hon Francis Nwifuru, and 15 other APC members of the Assembly, on Tuesday convened a sitting of the House in defiance of the ruling of the Federal High Court Abuja and declared the seats of three PDP members vacant.
The plenary was held inside the State Assembly Complex located along Nkaliki road abakaliki.
The Lawmakers whose seats were declared vacant include Hon Franca Okpo /Abakaliki North Constituency, Hon Ali Okechukwu /Ishielu North and Hon Victor Alieke /Ebonyi North West Constituency respectively.
The Speaker read the letters of resignation of the three Lawmakers at plenary.
The moton for the declaration of the seats vacant, was moved by the member representing Ohaukwu South Constituency Hon Chinedu Onah, and seconded by Hon Chukwuma Igwe of Onicha West Constituency.
When the Speaker put the motion to vote, It was unanimously adopted.
In an Interview, the member representing Ishielu South Constituency and Chairman House Committee on Information Hon Chukwu Arinze Lucas, said that with the development, INEC would conduct another bye-election in the constituencies to fill the vacancies.
The declaration of the Seats vacant due to the receipt of their resignation letters by the Speaker of the House, The House declared vacant the Seats of the lawmakers who resigned their membership of the House voluntarily
The House has appealed the Federal High Court Judgement, there is no Court Judgement that would prevent the House from discharging its legislative sitting, we will continue to serve our people
Until the Appeal is determined, the House will continue to discharge its functions
Reacting to the development, the member representing Ebonyi North West Constituency whose Seat was declared vacant Hon Victor Alieke described the action of the Lawmakers as illegal and unconstitutional.
‘I do not know those who are the House members, I think the House members are not in town as we speak, What authority do they have to go to the House, the purported letters of resignation did not emanate from me, their seats have been declared vacant by the Federal High court’
‘The Lawmakers that declared the seats vacant are no longer members again, they have committed contempt of Court’
