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Akinwande Soji-Ojo
Kebbi State House of Assembly has declared the seats of its former Speaker, Samaila Abdulmumini Kamba, and three other members vacant over their defection to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Other affected members are Muhammad Buhari Aliero, Samaila Salihu Bui and Habibu Labbo Gwandu.
Kamba was removed as Speaker of the assembly in 2021 over suspicions that he was loyal to the Senator Adamu Aliero group. Bui after defecting from the APC was selected running mate to the PDP governorship candidate in the state.
The clerk of the assembly, Usman Ahmed Bunza, in a statement after the executive session of house on Thursday, said the decision to declare the seats vacant was “in line with Section 109 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
Few hours before their seats were declared vacant, the four lawmakers had raised an alarm over plans to suspend them.
“Government has concluded plans to clampdown on the opposition in the house with the objective to suspend us.
“The plan is to silence the opposition particularly the PDP members in the house, through intimidation and financial inducement to some unscrupulous minds in the house to achieve this purpose,” the statement read.