A group, the Ikeja Stakeholders’ Forum (ISF) has threatened to sue the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) if it fails to declare the seat of the member representing Ikeja Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. James Faleke vacant.
According to the group, the commission has shirk its responsibility by failing to declare the seat vacant following the decision of Faleke to be part of the governorship ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kogi State.
In a statement issued by the Coordinator of the group, Mr. Olanrewaju Osundairo issued on Sunday, the group called on INEC to declare the seat vacant failure in which it would institute a suit against it after the expiration of a seven-day deadline.
Osundairo stated that “By virtue of the fact that Faleke had transferred his franchise away from Lagos to Kogi State, he ceases to be a member of the constituency. He lacks the moral and legal rights to speak for us in Ikeja at the lower legislative chambers.”
He stated that the decision of the lawmaker to contest the governorship has impacted negatively on the representation of the area in the lower chambers, saying the trend must be reversed in the interest of the people of the area whom he stated have yearned for their voices to be heard at the National Assembly.
“You don’t need anyone to tell you that Hon. Faleke has been distracted from representing us at the House of Representatives, all that concerns him now is how to become the governor of Kogi State and not to represent us.” Osundairo said.
To stem the tide, he called on INEC to declare the seat vacant in the interest of the people of the area, saying, “If they fail to act, we will compel them to do the needful using the judiciary.”