By Demola Akinyemi, Ilorin

ILORIN — A socio-cultural organisation in Kwara South, Orisun Igbomina, has cautioned the Kwara State House of Assembly against declaring the seats of two lawmakers vacant over their defection from the All Progressives Congress, APC, to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

The organisation said the move could further aggravate political tensions in the state, urging the lawmakers, political parties and other stakeholders to pursue dialogue and allow any constitutional dispute to be resolved through due process.

President of Orisun Igbomina, Chief Gbenga Awoyale, stated this in a statement issued in Ilorin while reacting to the declaration of the seats of Hon. Saba Yisa Gideon, representing Edu State Constituency, and Hon. Olushola Odetundun, representing Irepodun State Constituency, vacant.

Awoyale said although constitutional provisions governing legislative defections must be respected, the circumstances surrounding the matter required caution and maturity.

“You cannot solve a political problem by creating another one. If there are disagreements within a political party, the answer should be reconciliation, dialogue and, where necessary, judicial interpretation—not actions that may further deepen political bitterness and leave constituents caught in the middle,” he said.

He questioned claims that there was no significant division within the Kwara APC, recalling that the party had constituted a reconciliation committee to engage aggrieved members and address internal disagreements.

“If there was nothing to reconcile, why was a reconciliation committee constituted in the first place? Why were aggrieved stakeholders being invited to the table? Why did the G-15 and other political tendencies emerge?

“We cannot acknowledge disagreements when seeking reconciliation and deny their existence when dealing with defections,” Awoyale said.

He also raised concerns about the neutrality of the party leadership during the reconciliation process, alleging that the APC state chairman, who constituted the committee, was subsequently seen accompanying the purported winners of disputed primary elections on thank-you visits across several local government areas before the reconciliation process had been concluded.

According to him, such conduct could raise questions about the neutrality of the party leadership in a process meant to resolve internal disagreements.

Awoyale said some aggrieved stakeholders reportedly declined to appear before the reconciliation committee because they questioned whether the party chairman and the governor could simultaneously be perceived as parties to the dispute and neutral arbiters.

He also cited concerns over the composition of the committee, including the presence of individuals perceived by some stakeholders to be close to the governor and another person who is a member of the party’s executive committee.

He, however, acknowledged that such concerns did not by themselves determine the legal status of the defections or invalidate the reconciliation process.

Rather, he said, they highlighted what he described as a credibility gap that should have been addressed before the party proceeded on the assumption that the internal dispute had been resolved.

“You cannot ask aggrieved stakeholders to trust a reconciliation process while the leadership appears to be taking sides in the very dispute the process was established to resolve.

“You cannot ask people to wait for reconciliation while simultaneously acting as though there is nothing left to reconcile,” he said.

On the constitutional aspect of the defections, Awoyale said acknowledging internal disagreements within the APC did not automatically establish that the affected lawmakers had met the constitutional exception provided under Section 109(1)(g).

He maintained that any disputed constitutional question should be determined through the appropriate legal process.

“The APC State Chairman is entitled to state his party’s position, but a letter from a party chairman should not substitute for independent constitutional judgment by the legislature. The House belongs to the people, not to any political party or faction,” he said.

Awoyale warned that the immediate consequences of declaring the seats vacant could be borne by constituents in Edu and Irepodun, who risk being left without effective representation while political and legal battles continue.

“Those constituencies elected representatives. Their people should not become casualties of an intra-party dispute. Whatever the legal position may ultimately be, we must ensure that the people do not pay the price for political disagreements among their leaders,” he said.

He also criticised what he described as inconsistent attitudes towards defections in Nigerian politics, arguing that politicians who move into ruling parties are often welcomed while those who leave are condemned.

“If defection is wrong, then the principle should be consistent. Democracy cannot operate on one rule for those coming into a party and another for those leaving it,” Awoyale said.

He urged the Speaker and members of the Kwara State House of Assembly to exercise restraint and protect the independence and integrity of the legislature.

“The gavel should not become an instrument for settling political scores. Whatever our political differences, we must preserve the institutions that will outlive us,” he said.

Awoyale called on the APC leadership, the affected lawmakers and other stakeholders to return to dialogue and allow any constitutional dispute to be settled through due process.

“Kwara is already navigating a sensitive political moment. We should be reducing tension, not multiplying it.

“You cannot solve a problem by creating another one. What we need now is reconciliation, not retaliation; dialogue, not escalation; and respect for the people’s mandate above partisan interests,” he said.