April 27, (THEWILL) – The Adamawa State House of Assembly has declared the seat of Joseph Ayuba (PDP-Michika), vacant for defecting from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The move followed the adoption of a motion by the Deputy Speaker, Pwamwakeno Mackondo, at plenary Wednesday in Yola.
Presenting the motion, Mackondo said that the lawmaker must be made to forfeit his seat, for defecting from the party on which platform he was elected without cogent reasons.
He said that by virtue of the provisions of Section 109 1(G) of the Constitution, Ayuba’s seat had become vacant.
The Speaker, Rt Hon Aminu Iya Abbas, put the matter to voice vote, which was supported by the members at the seating.
Abbas, thereafter declared the lawmaker’s seat vacant after the motion was adopted by all the 13 lawmakers present.
The 25-member Assembly had only 13 in attendance: 12 PDP members and one APC member.
Reacting, Ayuba described the decision as unjust.
“The decision by the house to declare my seat vacant is an injustice, because I didn’t officially declare my defection or present any formal letter that I defected to APC. However, I leave the whole issue to my party to decide”, he said.
Ayuba had last weekend announced his defection from the PDP, saying he had been sidelined and needed to join the APC, where he expected to be better treated.
House Majority Leader, Hon Japhet Kefas, who later addressed newsmen on the development against a precedent that an APC member, Musa Bororo was not removed last year when he defected from APC to PDP.
Kefas said there was a crisis In APC when Bororo defected, and so the House had no reason at that time to move against Bororo.
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