Thirty-seven former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmakers who defected to the All Progressives Party (APC) in the House of Representatives have stated that their seats cannot be declared vacant.
They noted that it has become commonplace to read in the media calls on the Speaker of the House, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, to declare their seats vacant.
The lawmakers, in a statement by Honourable Andrew Uchendu, said they were amused at such calls, which demonstrated inexplicable display of ignorance about how the system works.
They noted that when such calls emanated from people who should otherwise know better, the intention to mislead the public immediately became apparent, saying that at the risk of being cited for contempt, ?it needs to be reiterated that the issue of whether a seat is or is not vacant is a live matter before a competent court in Abuja and that once a matter is before the court, it behooves on civilised and law-abiding citizens to stay from drawing conclusions or deciding the matter before the court does so.?
The statement read in part: ?Such calls at this period amount to contempt of the judicial process. Those who are so concerned and eager to see the defectors out have option to approach the Federal High Court through a motion of joinder, and join PDP as plaintiffs in the ongoing matter.”
