Ebonyi State House of Assembly crisis took a new twist yesterday, as the All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmakers in the House declared the seats of three members of the Assembly elected on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) platform vacant.
This followed letters of resignation purported to have been written by the lawmakers.
Speaker Francis Nwifuru read the letters during an emergency sitting of the House yesterday.
The three lawmakers are Ali Okechukwu (Ishielu North), Franca Okpo (Abakaliki North) and Victor Aleke (Ebonyi North West).
Chinedu Onah (Ohaukwu South) moved motion for the declaration of their seats vacant, which was seconded by Chukwuma Igwe (Onicha West).
The three legislators and their five PDP colleagues were not present at the sitting.
Fifteen APC lawmakers attended the sitting.
Speaking on their behalf in a telephone interview, Aleke described the action of the Speaker and the APC lawmakers as illegal.
According to him, the Speaker and the other APC lawmakers, having been sacked by the Federal High Court in Abuja, had ceased to be lawmakers and should not have sat in the first place.
Aleke stated, “What they have done today by purporting to sit and declaring our seats vacant amounts to contempt of court and the court may declare them wanted if care is not taken.
“We have no reason whatsoever to resign our seats. We are still lawmakers representing our various constituencies and we enjoin our supporters and the general public to disregard what they have done.”
