Ebonyi Assembly lawmakers declare seats of three PDP members vacant

Ebonyi State House of Assembly on Thursday declared the seats of three Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmakers vacant.

The assembly members claimed that they acted in response to a resignation letter purportedly written by the three lawmakers, notifying the assembly of their intention to resign from their seats.

The said letters were read out to the assembly members during their Tuesday plenary by Speaker Francis Nwifuru.

The three lawmakers sacked from their seats are Ali Okechukwu(Ishielu North); Franca Okpo Abakaliki North) and Victor Aleke (Ebonyi West).

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During the plenary, the three PDP lawmakers and five other lawmakers of the opposition party were conspicuously absent, while all the All Progressive Congress (APC) lawmakers were present at the sitting.

After reading the letters, Speaker Nwifuru declared the seats of the three lawmakers vacant.

He then directed the clerk to write to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) notifying the electoral body of the development and the need to conduct fresh elections in the affected constituencies.

Meanwhile, the three lawmakers have maintained that they are still members of the House of Assembly.

One of them, Mr Victor Aleke, dubbed the actions of the Speaker and APC lawmakers as illegal.

He said that Nwifuru and the other APC lawmakers, following their recent sack by the Federal High Court in Abuja, have ceased to be lawmakers and should not sit in the first place.