Spokesman of the House of Representatives, Rep. Benjamin Kalu, has blamed the delay in the declaration of the Jos North/Bassa Federal Constituency of Plateau State seat vacant, on a pending submission of documentation of the death of the former occupant of the seat, Late Haruna Maitala, by the family of the deceased.
Late member of the House of Representatives, Aliyu, died in an auto accident on April 3, 2021. His seat, is however. yet to be declared vacant by the Speaker, 5 months after.
Rep. Kalu in an exclusive interview with VANGUARD , said “The seat will be declared vacant according to the rules of the House and the Constitution, when we receive full documentation of his death, from the family of the deceased.
“The Speaker and the House, were yet to receive full details and documentation on that from the family, but once we do that and the Clerk documents same and briefs the Speaker, he will go ahead and declare the seat vacant, so that INEC will perform its duty of conducting a bye-election in that Federal Constituency”, he said.
He added that “Now that we are back from the recess, i’m sure that by next week the House will address the matter”.
The House, had earlier on Wednesday last week, adopted a Motion by Rep. Yusuf Gagdi, representing Kanke/Kanam Federal Constituency of Plateau State, calling on the INEC to conduct bye-election for that vacant seat.
The House, in adopting the motion, mandated “ INEC to as a matter of urgency, conduct bye election to filled the vacant seat of Jos North/Bassa Federal Constituency without further delay, so that they can also have their voice back in this Honorable House”.
The 1999 Constitution and the Standing Orders of the 9th House of Representatives, give the Speaker the powers to declare seats of representatives who by virtue of death, a recall, defectionor a judicial pronouncement, vacant.
Source: Vanguard
