By Baron Ike
The Supreme Court on Friday, June 23 declared the seat of controversial House of Representatives member, Herman Hembe vacant.
Hembe got to the House on the ticket of the All Progressive Congress (APC), having defected from his original party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) with which he first got elected to the Federal House.
Hembe, who was representing Vandeikya/Konshisha constituency of Benue State, at the Federal House of Representatives, was also Chairman, House Committee on Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
But all that are now history as he was said by the apex court to have illegally occupied the offices in question.
The ruling adjudged Mrs. Dorathy Mato, Hembe’s party mmber as the right candidate who won the APC party ticket for the constituency.
The court also ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to issue certificate of return to Mato.
The 41-year old Hembe, a lawyer, was noted for everything controversial while in the House.
The court, also in its ruling, ordered Hembe to return all salaries and benefits collected while in office within 90 days.
Hembe retained his seat in the National Assembly and defeated his PDP opponent, Terhemen Hon, in Saturday’s National Assembly poll in Benue.
Announcing the results in Makurdi, the Returning Officer for the Vadeikya/ Konshisha constituency, Amokaha Aboho, said Hembe scored 50,818 votes to defeat Hon, with 27,289 votes.
Aboho said the number of registered voters for the constituency was 188,693; accredited voters, 89,776; valid votes, 81,915 while rejected votes were 2,471.
Hembe first won the House of Representatives election in 2007 on the platform of the PDP but defected to APC in 2014.
Mato had approached the court to complain that the process that threw Hembe up was flawed and prayed for his election to be voided.
The Court ruled that Mato is the rightful candidate who won the All Progressive Congress (APC) party ticket for Vandikwa/ Konshisha federal constituency of Benue state.