Niger Lawmaker Dumps APC

Laleye Dipo in Minna

A member of the Niger State House of Assembly, Alhaji Danladi Iyah, has resigned his membership of the All Progressives Congress, fueling speculations that the gale of defections from the ruling party will soon hit the house.

Danladi Iyah did not say what party he was going to join.

Iyah addressed his resignation to the state chairman of the party, Alhaji Jibrin Imam, in which he said the reason for leaving the APC was ” humiliation and due to hostilities I suffered while I was in the APC”.

Iyah was elected on the platform of the APC from Tafa constituency. The house had before the resignation of Iyah 26 APC members and one PDP.

In a swift reaction to Iyah’s letter, the APC wrote to the Assembly demanding that the legislator’s seat should be declared vacant.

“I want the House of Assembly to effect the provisions of section 109 sub section 1(g) of the Nigerian constitution and declare the seat of the member representing Tafa Constituency vacant. His reasons are not justifiable.” Imam said in the letter.

According to the chairman’s letter, the reason given by the legislator was not tenable as it was personal and not constitutional.

When the APC chairman’s letter was read at plenary on Wednesday, member representing Borgu Constituency, Alhaji Bala Ahmed Abba, threw his weight behind the chairman’s letter saying that the resignation of his colleague was unconstitutional.

Abba said “declaring his (Iyah) seat vacant is the right thing to do.”

Member representing Bida 1 Alhaji Mohammed Haruna seconded the motion.

When the motion was put to vote, the members unanimously agreed that the legislator’s seat should be declared vacant.

The speaker Alhaji Ahmed Marafa Guni directed the clerk of the Assembly to convey the decision to t