Defection: Niger PDP Hails State Assembly For Declaring Two Lawmakers’ Seats Vacant

 The Peoples Democratic Party in Nigeri State on Wednesday hailed the action of the State House of Assembly for declaring vacant the seats of two lawmakers, who defected to the opposition All Progressives Congress recently.

The Speaker of the Assembly on Tuesday declared vacant the seats of Mohammed Lokogoma from Wushishi and Abdulahi Nazeer from Rijau for defecting to the APC.

While the affected lawmakers described the action as the height of impunity and vowed to challenge it in court, the state Acting Chairman of the PDP, Umaru Ma’ali, in a statement, described the action as novel and a move towards bringing moral sanity to the polity of the state.

Ma’ali also called the action of the Assembly an example to stem the tide of defections among Nigerian politicians.

The acting PDP chairman noted that the state Assembly had shown that there was hope for Nigeria in the area of instilling morality in politicians to remain committed to one political party.

He said, “The decision of the Niger State House of Assembly to declare the seats of two members of the House, who defected to the APC, will encourage discipline and engender moral virtues among politicians. I am very pleased with what has happened.  It will help prevent the shameful trend of defections, which have become a trend among politicians.

“We must understand that once politicians realise they will lose their seats, they will not defect anymore. It is indeed a good tiding for democracy as the Niger House of Assembly has set the record straight on the constitutionality of defection, which stipulates that such seat should be declared vacant”.