September 18, (THEWILL) – The lingering crisis rocking the Ondo State House of Assembly has not yet been resolved. Success Torhukerhijo, the member representing Ese Odo Constituency on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been caught in the web of the crisis. His seat has been declared vacant and it is about to be occupied by another lawmaker.
Torhukerhijo started having a running battle with his colleagues after he defected to the PDP. The Assembly is made up of 26 members. About 23 lawmakers are from the All Progressives Congress (APC) which constitutes the majority. Two lawmakers are from the PDP and one lawmaker is from the Zenith Party.
After Torhukerhijo defected to the PDP, the remaining APC members felt betrayed because the party made Torhukerhijo a lawmaker. They warned him to return to the party or face the wrath of the law. He was also accused of anti-party activities after his defection because he was one of the lawmakers supporting the deputy governor of the state, Agboola Ajayi, who was about to be impeached then.
A committee was set up by the Assembly to investigate Torhukerhijo, so he ran to an Akure High Court for fear of being suspended like his colleague, Favour Tomomewo. A few months ago, Tomomewo was victimised by her party. She had clearly backed out of the plot to impeach Ajayi. The Assembly threw her out and declared her seat vacant.
The court restrained the Assembly from suspending Torhukerhijo as a member of the house. It also mandated the Assembly to pay all his benefits and entitlements as the assembly had threatened to withhold his benefits and entitlements just to make sure he returns to the APC.
However, the Assembly ignored the court rulings and declared his seat vacant. They also wrote a letter to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC to declare his seat vacant. The act made Torhukerhijo run back to court again for defence.
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