Kogi Speaker Declares Lawmaker's Seat Vacant. …declaring my seat vacant is recklessness, says Linus

 

The Speaker of Kogi State House of Assembly, Hon. Matthew Kolawole, on  Tuesday declared  seat of Hon. Eneche Linus representing Olomaboro constituency vacant for defecting.

But in a swift reaction, the embattled lawmaker said declaring his seat vacant was recklessness on the part of the state assembly.

 Linus is a former member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and picked the state assembly ticket for second term.

This followed the adoption of a motion moved yesterday by the assembly Majority Leader, Hon. Bello Hassan Abdullahi, calling on the assembly to declare his seat vacant.

Abdullahi in his motion stated that based on his investigation which was latter transmitted to the assembly by the state Chairman of APC, Alhaji Abdullahi Bello, of the lawmaker has contravened section 109-1 subsection G of the 1999 Constitution as amended.

The motion which was seconded by Hon Ahmed Mohammed resulted in heated argument from PDP members in the assembly because there was no evidence to prove his defection by APC and the matter is already in court.

This was however over ruled by the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Matthew Kolawole.

However, the motion was put to voice vote in which three members voted in favour while two voted against.

Meanwhile, the embattled lawmaker said declaring his seat vacant was recklessness on the part of the assembly.

While speaking with journalists, Eneche described the lawmakers action as null and void especially that he had gone to a Lokoja High court seeking interpretation of section 109 to know if the speaker can declare his seat vacant.

According to Eneche, it was wrong for the state APC Chairman, Abdullahi, to have written the assembly to declare his seat vacant when the assembly was served yesterday on the interpretation of section 109 in court.

He said it was wrong to have deliberated on a matter when it is still in court, describing the action of the Speaker as reckless, since he had gone to seek interpretation to restrain the Speaker from declaring his seat vacant.

The lawmaker said having consulted the Speaker, who said he was directed to declare the seat vacant, he wondered how the assembly would know that he is in court if they had not been served.

Eneche said the assembly has refused to pay him for seven months now and all efforts to confer with the Speaker proved abortive as he said he was directed not to pay him.