BREAKING: Kwara Assembly sacks two lawmakers for defecting to PDP
...declares Edu, Irepodun Assembly seats vacant
The Kwara State House of Assembly has declared the seats of Hon. Saba Yisa Gideon, representing Edu State Constituency, and Hon. Olushola Odetundun, representing Irepodun State Constituency, vacant following their defection from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The lawmakers’ seats were declared vacant on Tuesday after the Assembly considered a request from the APC seeking their removal over their defection.
The development comes days after the two lawmakers resigned their membership of the APC and joined the PDP amid political realignments ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Gideon, in his resignation letter, cited concerns over internal democracy, fairness and inclusiveness within the APC, while Odetundun said his decision followed consultations with political stakeholders, supporters and constituents.
Both lawmakers subsequently obtained the PDP’s tickets to contest the forthcoming rerun elections in their respective constituencies.
The Assembly’s action followed a letter from the APC State Chairman, Prince Sunday Fagbemi, addressed to the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Salihu Yakubu Danladi, requesting that the lawmakers’ seats be declared vacant pursuant to Section 109(1)(g) of the 1999 Constitution.
The APC chairman argued that the lawmakers were elected on the platform of the APC and that there was no division within the party to justify their defection to another political party.
Leading debate on the request, the Leader of the House, Hon. Oba Mogaji, said the matter was constitutional, arguing that Section 109(1)(g) prohibits a member of a legislative house from defecting from the party on whose platform he was elected, except under circumstances provided by the Constitution.
Mogaji noted that the two lawmakers had not only left the APC for the PDP but had also obtained the opposition party’s tickets to seek reelection into the same seats.
He therefore supported the request for their seats to be declared vacant.
The motion was also supported by Hon. Abolarin Ganiyu Gabriel of Ekiti Constituency, Hon. Ganiyu Folabi of Omupo Constituency and Hon. Adato Oguniyi of Ojomu/Balogun Constituency.
Following the debate, the Speaker declared the seats of the two lawmakers vacant in line with the resolution of the House.
The decision comes after the Kwara PDP had, on Monday, raised an alarm over an alleged plan to suspend the lawmakers, warning that any attempt to punish them for their defection could deny the people of Edu and Irepodun effective representation in the Assembly.
The PDP had described the proposed action as political persecution and urged the Speaker and Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq to allow the lawmakers to continue performing their constitutional duties.
