The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in Niger State, has given the state’s House of Assembly two weeks within which to reverse its decision declaring the seat of the member representing Tafa constituency Alhaji Danladi Iyah vacant or face legal action.
The party said, in a statement, in Minna, on Thursday, and signed by its chairman Alhaji Tanko Beji, that if the decision was not positively changed within two weeks, it would have no option but to seek redress in court.
The House of Assembly, acting on a letter from the state’s chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Jibrin Imam, the Assembly, at its sitting, last Wednesday, unanimously agreed and declared the seat of Danladi Iyah be declared vacant after he (Iyah) had written to the APC resigning his membership of the party.
Although, the member had not signified his intention to join the PDP, the party had stood up in a stout defense of the lawmaker, saying that the action of the Assembly was illegal and unconstitutional.
The PDP’s statement said, “We want to quickly say that the action of the assembly is not only illegal but outrightly unconstitutional and should not stand
“The Assembly does not have the power to declare the seat of a member vacant without first investigating the reasons why the legislator took the action he took worse still the assembly did not act on any decision of a court of competent jurisdiction or directive of the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC.
“Acting based on a mere letter from a party chairman is Ill advised an act of legislative recklessness and undue display of legislative rascality and impunity”.
The PDP, in the statement, also reminded the Assembly that the constituents of Alhaji Danladi Iyah had not taken any constitutional action that should warrant the Assembly to take the step it had taken.
The PDP said the Assembly had to reverse its stand in order not to continue to make the state a laughing stock in the country.
“If within two weeks the Legislature fail to change its decision the PDP will have no option than to employ all constitutional means to ventilate our anger seek redress in the law courts in respect of this cruel decision,” Tanko Beji said.
SUN
