By Precious Godswill
It was a heated debate on the floor of the Green Chambers of the National Assembly in Wednesday February 12, 2025 when the member representing Okpe, Sapele & Uvwie Federal Constituency, Hon. Ben Etanabene contended fiercely that the House has the responsibility to declare vacant the seats of some members who defected from their parties to others.
Etanabene reminded the House of the rule which stipulates that a member who decamped from one political party to another shall automatically vacate his seat, adding that it is a law which must be adhered to.
The National lawmaker who himself is a lawyer, further argued that when a member won an election on the platform of a particular political party to have a seat in the National Assembly, such member is issued a certificate by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
According to him, such certificate issued by INEC bears the member’s name, the Constituency he represents and the political party platform that gave him the seat, saying that when such members defect to another party the INEC certificate he holds becomes invalid.
“What is happening now goes to the very root and fundamental reason for the establishment of the National Assembly. When this National Assembly makes laws, there must be an intent and purpose of making that laws.
“I cannot believe that that section deals clearly with the words authenticated and accepted, signed by everybody here before we came in in this 10th Assembly, that any member who leaves one party to another SHALL vacate his seat. It is automatic”, Etanabene argued.
Responding to the submission of Hon. Etanabene, the Speaker, Rt. Honourable Tajudeen Abbas, said that it is only the Court that has the power to declare the seats of a member who defected, vacant.
“You are wrong, my brother. The National Assembly doesn’t have that power to declare. It is only the Court. If you want that kind of power you have to go to the court. The court is the only body that can declare”, the Speaker maintained.
Not done yet, Etanabene reminded the Speaker of INEC certificate issued to members bearing their names, Constituency and political party, querying if such “members go back to INEC to correct and reverse reverse the certificates to the new party”.
Whilst the Speaker was still insisting that the court is the only authority that can declare the seat of a member vacant, Etanabene declared that “the day you will see Ben Etanabene leaving the Labour party for another party, that is the last day I’ll sit on this seat. I don’t need anybody to tell me that. I’ll pack my load and leave and wait for INEC to do a rerun.”
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