The main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has declared the seat of Hon. Erhiatake Ibori-Suenu in the House of Representatives vacant following her defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC)......Read The Full Article>>.....Read The Full Article>>
In a statement issued on Friday by the PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, the party called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to promptly initiate the process for a fresh election to fill her position.
It is worth noting that Ibori-Suenu, the daughter of former Delta State Governor James Ibori, who represents the Ethiope federal constituency in the House of Representatives, switched allegiance from the PDP to the APC.
In her resignation letter to the PDP Local Government Chairman for Ethiope West, dated December 5, 2024, Ibori-Suenu cited the ongoing crisis and her exclusion from the State chapter’s activities as the reasons for her decision.
Titled “Notice of Resignation of Hon. Erhiatake Ibori-Suenu as a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),” the letter highlights her discontent with the party.
However, the PDP’s statement emphasises that, under the law, Ibori-Suenu’s defection from the PDP—the political party that sponsored her election to the House of Representatives—automatically vacates her seat, rendering it vacant through the self-executory provision of Section 68(1)(g) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).
The statement further clarified, “For clarity, Section 68(1) of the 1999 Constitution states 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…’”
“With this unambiguous constitutional provision and its clear interpretation by the Supreme Court, Hon. Ibori-Suenu has irrevocably lost her seat, along with the rights, privileges, recognitions, and obligations associated withbeing a member of the House of Representatives.
“Hon. Ibori-Suenu should therefore cease to represent herself as a member of the House of Representatives, as this would constitute impersonation with potential criminal repercussions.
“The PDP urges the National Assembly Sergeant-at-Arms to acknowledge that Hon. Ibori-Suenu is no longer a member of the House of Representatives.
“The PDP is also notifying INEC to conduct, within the constitutionally mandated timeframe, a fresh election to fill the vacancy now existing in the Ethiope East/Ethiope West Federal Constituency of Delta State due to Hon. Ibori-Suenu’s defection to the APC.
“Additionally, the PDP directs the National Legal Adviser to initiate appropriate legal measures to safeguard the votes and mandate of the citizens of Ethiope East/Ethiope West Federal Constituency, which were freely entrusted to the PDP, ensuring they are not appropriated by any individual or political party under any guise or circumstance whatsoever.”
