The Ebonyi House of Assembly has remained adamant in its resolve to sack the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members in the House, as it on Tuesday, declared the seats of the three members vacant.
The Assembly had earlier suspended the lawmakers, who have insisted on not changing their loyalty to the PDP
The three lawmakers included Ali Okechukwu(Ishielu North); Franca Okpo Abakaliki North) and Victor Aleke (Ebonyi West).
The APC dominated House of Assembly made the declaration as the affected three lawmakers and their five other PDP colleagues were not at the sitting.
Speaker Nwifuru read the letters on the floor after which he declared the seats of the three lawmakers vacant.
He ordered the clerk to immediately write to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) notifying it of the declared vacancy and the need to conduct fresh elections in the constituencies.
But the three lawmakers, who reacted on the development, maintained that they sti;ll remain members of the assembly with the mandate of their constituencies
Speaking on their behalf, Hon. Victor Aleke, described the actions of the Speaker and APC lawmakers as illegal.
According to him, the Speaker and the other APC lawmakers, having been sacked by the Federal High Court in Abuja, have ceased to be lawmakers and should not sit in the first place.
“What they have done today by purporting to sit and declare our seats vacant amounts to contempt of court and the court may declare them wanted if care is not taken.
“We have no reason whatsoever to resign our seats. We are still lawmakers representing our various constituencies and we enjoin our supporters and the general public to disregard what they have done,” Aleke said.
