The two chambers of the National Assembly yesterday declared the seats of Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo and his deputy, Denis Idahosa, vacant.
Okpebholo represented Edo Central Senatorial District, while Idahosa represented Ovia North-East/Ovia South-West Federal Constituency before they contested the September 21 election and won.
The Senate invited the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a bye-election to fill the vacancies created by the election victory of the two federal lawmakers.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio declared Okpebholo’s seat vacant after a valedictory session for the governor organised by the Red Chamber.
The Senate President announced the vacancy while reading a letter from Minority Leader Abba Moro, requesting that the seat be declared vacant, following the occupant’s inauguration as a governor.
In the letter, Moro said: “I write to bring to your attention Paragraph D of Section 68 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as amended, that the seat of Senator Monday Okpebholo, representing Edo Central Senatorial District, has become vacant.
“This vacancy has become necessary following Senator Monday Okpebholo’s inauguration as governor of Edo State, and in accordance with the Constitution, his seat is now deemed vacant, and we invite you to so declare.”
Also, House Leader Julius Ihonvbere, through a letter Speaker Tajudeen Abbas read on the floor of the House, asked the Green Chamber to declare Idahosa’s seat vacant.
Ihonvbere wanted to know when the process of electing a replacement for Idahosa would begin so that the people of Ovia could have a representative in the House.
With the declaration of Idahosa’s seat vacant, the House now has four vacant seats for which the INEC is expected to conduct fresh elections.