The All Progressives Congress (APC) says the removal of a member of the Adamawa State House of Assembly, Ayuba Kwada, because he defected to the party from Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is illegal.
Twelve PDP members and one APC member of the 25-member of the state legislative body on Wednesday morning declared Ayuba’s seat vacant.
Ayuba had announced his defection from the PDP to the APC last week.
Reacting to the development, the Adamawa State chapter of the APC condemned the sacking of Ayuba.
In a statement on Wednesday, evening the party said it had instructed its lawyers to take legal action to contest it.
It added that the power to declare a lawmaker’s seat vacant is only vested in the judiciary
“As a law-abiding political party, we are aware that it’s only the court that has inherent powers to declare a seat vacant,” the APC said in its statement signed by the state Publicity Secretary, Hon. Mohammed Abdullahi.
“By this statement, the legal Adviser of our Great Party has been mandated to commence the legal action,” the APC added.
The party, which recalled that an APC member, Musa Bororo, had earlier last year defected to the PDP, said part of its demand would be that the court should declare Bororo’s seat vacant.
Other actions of the House which the APC said it had resolved to challenge in court include the procedure followed in reconvening the House which had been on recess.
“Allowing personal interest to interfere with official conduct” and “The glaring injustice and partisanship in declaring Hon Joseph Ayuba Kwada’s seat vacant,” are the other actions of the Adamawa State House of Assembly that the APC said it would challenge.