The Office of the Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly has defended the declaration of the Udu State Constituency seat as vacant, saying the decision was made in line with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution.
The Speaker’s office was reacting to comments by former Deputy President of the Senate, Ovie Omo-Agege, who criticised the Assembly’s decision to declare the seat vacant following the defection of the lawmaker representing Udu State Constituency, Collins Egbetamah.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by the Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker, Nkem Nwaeke, the Assembly said its resolution was based on documentary evidence before the House and complied with Sections 109(1)(g) and 109(2) of the Constitution.
According to the statement, Section 109(1)(g) provides that a lawmaker elected on the platform of a political party shall vacate the seat upon joining another political party before the expiration of the tenure, except where there is a division in the political party that sponsored the election.
The Assembly maintained that the Constitution empowers the Speaker to declare the seat vacant once the constitutional conditions have been satisfied.
