The lawmakers of Ebonyi State House of Assembly, elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Thursday, stressed that their colleagues who were sacked by the Federal High Court, Abuja, were no longer members of the House, until the Court decides on the contrary.
They further explained that any action carried out on the floor of the House by their sacked colleagues remains unconstitutional and a contempt of Court.
Recall that 16 sacked members of Ebonyi State House of Assembly, including the erstwhile Speaker, Rt. Hon. Francis Nwifuru sat last Tuesday and purportedly declared more seats of their PDP counterpart vacant.
In a statement signed by the member representing Abakaliki North constituency, Hon. Mrs Franca Okpo, on behalf of her colleagues, the lawmaker emphasized that the sacked members of the House of Assembly lacked both the moral and constitutional powers to declare their seats vacant.
“The sacked members are no longer members of Ebonyi State House of Assembly until stated otherwise by a competent Court of law.”
The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja had on the 8th day of March, 2022 sacked 16 members of Ebonyi State House of Assembly, including the erstwhile Speaker, Rt. Hon. Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru for defecting from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP to the All Progressives Congress, APC in the State.
According to Okpo, “My attention has been drawn to online publications by sacked members of Ebonyi State House of Assembly, purporting that I, Hon. Mrs Franca Okpo representing Abakaliki North constituency, Hon. Victor Aleke representing Ebonyi North West Constituency and Hon Okechukwu Ali representing Ishielu North constituency resigned our positions and as a result, our seats were declared vacant.
“It is therefore surprising to hear that duly sacked members of the house sat illegally and declared the seats of authentic members of the House vacant.
“It’s on record that after the Federal High Court judgement, that the erstwhile Speaker in his live broadcast together with the other sacked members claimed to have accepted it in good faith, not like they had another option though.
“You may wish to recall that the former Speaker also stated that they have applied for a stay of execution. And uptill now, no stay of execution have been granted by any competent court.
“I urge you all to remain calm as any action allegedly done by them is not only invalid abnitio as neither of them posses the power to do so, but also amounts to contempt of court and forgery and won’t be taken likely.”
