PDP vs APC: Tension as 2 Sitting Lawmakers Suspended, Reason Emerges
- The Kwara State House of Assembly declared the seats of Saaba Issa Gideon and Olusola Odetundun vacant on Tuesday following their defection to the PDP
- The move came after the Kwara APC chairman wrote to the Speaker, citing Section 109(1)(g) of the 1999 Constitution against the two lawmakers
- The Kwara PDP rejected the declaration, questioning the procedure used and calling for an immediate reversal of the decision
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The Kwara State House of Assembly has vacated the legislative seats of two of its members after they dumped the All Progressives Congress for the Peoples Democratic Party, a move the opposition party has condemned as politically driven.
The Assembly took the decision during plenary on Tuesday, stripping Saaba Issa Gideon, who represents the Edu State Constituency, and Olusola Odetundun, who represents Irepodun State Constituency, of their seats.
Source: Twitter
How Kwara lawmakers were suspended
The Punch reported that the process was set off by a letter from the Kwara APC State Chairman, Sunday Fagbemi, addressed to Speaker Yakubu Danladi-Salihu. Fagbemi asked the Assembly to invoke Section 109(1)(g) of the 1999 Constitution, arguing that both lawmakers had been elected on the APC platform and had no constitutional basis to retain their seats after crossing to the PDP. He maintained that no division within the APC existed that could justify their defection.
House Leader Oba Mogaji opened the floor debate, saying the Assembly was dealing with a constitutional obligation and had no choice but to enforce the relevant provision. He noted that beyond the defection itself, the two lawmakers were also seeking to contest the 2027 general elections on the PDP platform. Several other lawmakers, including Abolarin Gabriel of Ekiti Constituency, Ganiyu Folabi of Omupo Constituency, and Adato Oguniyi of Ojomu/Balogun Constituency, backed the motion before the Speaker formally declared the seats vacant.
PDP pushes back
The Kwara PDP, through its State Publicity Secretary Olusegun Adewara, rejected the ruling outright. The party questioned the procedure, particularly that a constitutional matter was triggered by a letter from the party the lawmakers had left. The PDP argued that Section 109(1)(g) must be applied strictly and not selectively, and challenged the Assembly to publish the evidence considered before arriving at its decision, as well as confirm that the requirements of Section 109(2) of the Constitution were fully met.
The opposition party also called on Speaker Danladi-Salihu, who is the APC's governorship candidate in Kwara, to separate his party interests from his duties as the legislature's presiding officer. It urged Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq to ensure the Assembly functions as an institution of the people rather than a tool of the ruling party. The PDP called for an immediate reversal of the decision and said the courts should settle the constitutional questions where necessary.
The two lawmakers had announced their exits from the APC in late August, citing concerns about internal democracy and the need to realign with their constituents' interests. Their departures were part of a broader wave of political realignments in Kwara ahead of 2027, which also included Senator Saliu Mustapha of Kwara Central, who left the APC for the PDP and was subsequently unveiled as the opposition party's 2027 senatorial candidate.
Gideon's exit came against the backdrop of a three-month suspension by the Assembly over alleged contempt, which a Kwara State High Court later overturned and declared unconstitutional.
2 Kwara lawmakers dump APC for PDP
Legit.ng earlier reported that two Kwara State lawmakers, Hon. Olushola Odetundun and Hon. Saba Yisa Gideon, resigned from the APC on the same day.
Their exits came a day after a prominent APC senator was unveiled as the PDP candidate for the 2027 National Assembly election.
Gideon, who represents Edu State Constituency, cited concerns over internal democracy, fairness and inclusiveness within the APC.
Source: Legit.ng
