Some constituents of the Port Harcourt Constituency 3 have called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a bye election for the constituency after the lawmaker representing them at the state house of Asembly, Victor Ihunwo vacated his seat to become a local government area chairman.
It would be recalled that the lawmaker representing Port Harcourt state Constituency 3, Victor Ihunwo vacated his legislative seat after he won the seat of executive chairman of Port Harcourt City Local Government Area recently.
A social political group in the area ‘Change Hope for Better Campaign’ through one of her leaders, Uche Odonwero who spoke with our Reporter demanded from INEC the conduct of a bye election because Constituency 3 cannot go on without any representation.
“It is also very necessary that INEC take notice of that now and begin to think of how to call for bye election, so that our people will be properly represented. Even if it remains three or six months to the end of the current legislative tenure, they deserve to have their voices heard in the House of Assembly. We are calling on INEC to judiciously take notice of the fact that Rivers State House of Assembly, Phalga constituent 3 seat is vacant now and that they are calling for bye-election” he stated.
Still on this, the former chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Port Harcourt City Local Government Area, Mr Amadi Chima called on the constituents to formally notify INEC of the vacancy of the seat is vacant. He said the need became necessary to allow the people feel the impact of the government in the area.
“The people of PHALGA Constituency 3 should put up a sit out to create awareness to INEC that the position is vacant. Port Harcourt INEC will now look into it, and take it up” he stated.
Also a Port Harcourt based constitutional lawyer, Phingite Amachree while speaking to our Reporter, revealed that INEC has one month to conduct the bye election and explained that the constituents can sue INEC if they fail to conduct the election as stated in the constitution.
“What the law provides is that once there is vacancy, then INEC should immediately organise a bye election to fill that vacancy. And then by the constitutional provision in Section 116 sub sec 2 of the 1999 constitution as amended, they have 30 days within which to fill that vacancy” he stated.
Meanwhile, INEC deputy director in charge of voters’ education and publicity, Edwin Enabor said INEC has not been officially informed of any vacant seat in the State House of Assembly and also said that the law establishing the commission and the one guiding legislative proceedings empower the Speaker of the House to declare a seat vacant when necessary and communicate same to the electoral body.
