The Nasarawa State House of Assembly on Wednesday declared vacant the seat of a member representing Wamba constituency, Hon Makpa Malla for dumping All Progressives Congress (APC) and declined to mention the party he was defecting to.
Speaker of the House, Ibrahim Balarabe Abdullahi, who read the member defection letter saying, “My colleague, this letter is from Hon.Makpa Malla, member representing Wamba constituency in this House that he is dumping APC. Makpa in his letter said that there a division in the party. He cited the emergency of R-APC and APC leadership as reasons for his defection.
He, however, did not mention the party he is defecting to.”
Abdullahi, however, said that he wanted the matter to be investigated but members of the house insisted that his seat must be declared vacant with the voice votes from all members that the seat should be declared vacant.
“I wanted us to investigate the matter based on the reasons he gave for his defection but with the voice votes put on by all the members, my hands are tight.” The Speaker said.
The speaker declared his vacant after the Majority Leader of the House, Tanko Tunga, moved a motion for declaration of the member seat vacant during the house proceeding ,“I hereby declare his seat vacant.”
Tunga while moving the motion cited various sections of constitution that seat of the member should be declared vacant in view of the fact that Makpa did not tell the House the party he is moving into, hence the need for his motion to declare him seat vacant.
Deputy Majority leader of the House Daniel Oga Ogazi, seconded his motion and members unanimously voted in favour of the motion and declared his vacant.
The speaker directed the clerk to the House to communicate the development officially to Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
In a switch reaction when contacted, Hon Makpa Malla, described the action of the assembly as a contempt of court, “I defected from APC based on the faction that was created in the party, the R-APC.”
Malla disclosed that he had already secured a Court injunction and the house assembly was served with the injunction on Tuesday and, “I have proof of the court service to the house. The action of the house of assembly is a contempt of court order because the injunction of court is clear stopping the assembly from declaring my seat vacant until the determination of the suit.”
