I’m not in a hurry to declare Gumau, Kaita’s seats vacant — Dogara

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, says he is not in a hurry to declare the seats of Lawan Gumau (APC, Bauchi) and Ahmad Baba-Kaita (APC, Katsina) vacant, even though the duo were recently elected senators for Bauchi South and Katsina North respectively.

The Speaker said this while reading a letter from Babba-Kaita to intimate his colleagues that he had switched to the Senate during yesterday’s plenary. The House went into an executive session shortly after.

“Both Ahmad Baba-Kaita and Lawan Gumau were members of this House but now Senators for Katsina North and Bauchi South respectively.

“Even though the House has been communicated, I am not in a hurry to declare their seats vacant,” Dogara said after reading the letter.

Gumau and Baba-Kaita recently emerged winners in Bauchi South and Katsina North Senatorial byeelections following the vacancies created with the death of Senators Ali Wakili and Mustapha Bukar in March 2018.

Meanwhile, the Clerk of the House of Representatives had, at the opening of Wednesday’s plenary, sworn in Haruna Isah (APC, Kogi) as new member representing Lokoja/Kogi Federal Constituency of Kogi State.

Isah, who took both the oaths of office and allegiance, was elected to fill the vacancy created with the demise of Deputy Majority Leader of the House, Buba Jibril.