The Adamawa State governorship aspirant under the banner of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2019, Dr. Umar Ardo, has urged the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan and the Red chamber, to guide and protect the nation’s constitution by declaring vacant, the seat of Senator Cliff Abbo, who recently defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC.)
In his letter titled ‘Don’t Imperil Our Democracy’, a copy of which was made available to The Afriupdate, Ardo cited the provision of Section 68(1)(g) of the nation’s 1999 Constitution (as amended), and the clear interpretation of this provision by the Supreme Court in Ifedayo Sunday Abegunde vs The Ondo State House of Assembly and others (2015) 8NWLR, (part 1461); or 2015) LPELR- 24588(Sc) to support his stance.
He said: “Lawan owes the Nigerian State the inalienable duty to declare Abbo’s seat vacant in deference to the constitution of the nation as a consequence of the latter’s defection from PDP to the APC.
‘Lawan, having sworn an oath to ‘protect and defend the constitution’, he is duty-bound by his oath to so declare if he is not to fall guilty of aiding and abating the disparaging of the Constitution by the Senate.
“If the constitution, the law, rules and regulations can be compromised on the altar of political interest, then our democracy, nay our society, is imperiled by the legislature itself, the most critical element of democracy,” he said.
He further told The Guardian on phone that; “No political interest can supersede the constitution without threatening the very survival of our country as a democratic nation governed under law”.
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