For defecting from PDP to APC, Niger Assembly sacks two lawmakers

After a rowdy session, the Niger State House of Assembly on Wednesday declared two seats vacant, following the members’ defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Speaker of the House, Alhaji Adamu Usman, said the defection violated the constitution of the state legislature.
The affected members are Alhaji Bashir Lokogoma (Wushishi) and Alhaji Nazeer Abdullahi (Rijau).
Usman said the House took the decision based on a letter from the PDP State Working Committee confirming the defection of the two members to APC.
The speaker ordered the two members to be walked out of the House by the Sergeant-at-Arms.
The two members said the action of the speaker amounted to impunity, adding that their lawyers would take up the case in court “because there exists a court order restraining the House from taking such action.’’
Meanwhile, Gov. Babangida Aliyu of Niger has requested the Speaker, Alhaji Adamu Usman, to act in his capacity while away to Saudi Arabia for lesser Hajj.
Aliyu said in a letter to the speaker that he would be out of the state from February 19 to 26.
“In my absence, the speaker will oversee my schedules as the Acting Governor’’, he said in the letter.