Political Turmoil Looms: 40 National Assembly Members Face Possible Seat Loss

Political Turmoil Looms: 40 National Assembly Members Face Possible Seat Loss....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

A court action has been initiated by a non-governmental organization, the Association of Legislative Drafting and Advocacy Practitioners (ALDRAP), aiming to compel 40 Nigerian lawmakers to relinquish their seats in the National Assembly. The organization contends that it is improper for these lawmakers to simultaneously hold memberships in both the National Assembly and the ECOWAS Parliament, as well as the Pan-African Parliament, while receiving compensation from all these bodies.

ALDRAP previously urged the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, to declare the seats of these lawmakers vacant due to their multiple parliamentary affiliations. Subsequently, the organization served a pre-action notice to the Senate President and the Clerk of the National Assembly, expressing its intention to seek legal recourse if its demands were not met.

Citing constitutional provisions and ECOWAS Parliament regulations, ALDRAP asserts that holding dual parliamentary memberships violates the law. The organization filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking clarification on whether lawmakers can hold seats in both the National Assembly and other regional parliaments without resigning from their national positions.

The suit demands the cessation of salaries and benefits to the affected lawmakers and calls for bye-elections to fill the vacant National Assembly seats within 30 days. Notably, in April, more than thirty National Assembly members were inaugurated as ECOWAS parliamentarians.

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