- Linus Enenche’s seat in the Kogi House of Representatives was declared vacant after he defected to the PDP
- He said the issue has been taken to court describing it as illegal
- The lawmaker said his salary has not been paid in seven months
The Kogi state House of Assembly has declared vacant the seat of Linus Enenche, the member representing Olamaboro Constituency of the state.
The decision taken on Tuesday, December 11, on the floor of the house in Lokoja followed the recent defection of Enenche from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Enenche lost his seat following a motion moved to that effect by the House majority leader, Bello Hassan Abdullahi.
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Abdullahi had hinged his motion on a letter transmitted to the House by the state chairman of the APC, Abdul Bello, informing the House of Enenche’s defection. He said the letter also stated that Enenche will be seeking a return to the house on the platform of his new party, the PDP during the 2019 elections.
By this action, Abdullahi explained that Enenche had contravened Section 109 -1 Sub Section G of the 1999 constitution as amended.
The motion was seconded by Ahmed Mohammed, but a member of the PDP in the house objected on grounds that there was no evidence to back the motion. He also argued that Enenche had already dragged the APC to court over the matter.
The speaker, Mathew Kolawole, however, overruled him and put the motion to vote.
Two of the three members present during the plenary voted yes while the only PDP member among them voted no.
Enenche, who later spoke with journalists, described the action of his colleagues as reckless and unconstitutional.
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The lawmaker who spoke on phone said that the matter was already in court, saying that declaring his seat vacant was null and void. He alleged that the leadership of the House had refused to pay his salary and allowances for the past seven months.
He said all efforts made by him to get his entitlements released proved abortive as the speaker claimed that he had been directed not to pay him.
In a previous report by Legit.ng, an aide to the Kogi state governor on new media, Odaudu Joel, on Wednesday, December 5, resigned his position. Joel in a letter to the governor, Yahaya Bello, through the secretary to the state government said he was compelled to tender his resignation following pressing family issues.
According to Joel, his resignation is in line with the provisions of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended.
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Source: Legit.ng
