Kwara Assembly Declares Seats Vacant After Defections

The Kwara State House of Assembly declared the seats of two members, Saaba Issa Gideon and Olusola Odetundun, vacant after they defected from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). This decision was made during a plenary session on Tuesday, prompted by a letter from the APC Chairman, Sunday Fagbemi, who requested the invocation of Section 109(1)(g) of the 1999 Constitution.

Fagbemi argued that since Gideon and Odetundun were elected under the APC platform, they could not retain their seats after abandoning the party. The House Leader, Oba Mogaji, supported this view, stating that the lawmakers' defection contravened the Constitution as there was no division within the APC.

The motion to declare the seats vacant received backing from several lawmakers and was subsequently approved by Speaker Yakubu Danladi-Salihu. In response, the PDP condemned the declaration as politically motivated, questioning the procedure initiated by the APC chairman.