Defection: Court Sacks Ali Ahmad, Moshood Mustapha and 35 Other Reps.
The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered 37 former members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to resign their seats at the House of Representatives for defecting to the All Progressives Congress, (APC).
Delivering judgment, Justice Adeniyi Ademola held that the defected lawmakers no longer had any business, morally and legally, to stay in the House of Reps.
He said they should honourably resign from their seats as members of the House of Representative , having moved to another political party, while their tenure had yet to expire.
“Having perused the arguments of counsel and the constitutional provisions, it is clear and unambiguous that the defendants were sponsored by the PDP and won the election on its platform.
“It is also the court’s opinion that their tenure has not expired and there is no division in the PDP.
“The defendants are, therefore, not competent to vote or contribute to any proceedings in the House of Representatives.
“An order of perpetual injunction is, hereby, ordered, restraining them from altering or attempting to change the leadership of the House of Reps,’’ Ademola said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the PDP had on Jan. 7 instituted a suit seeking to restrain the House of Representatives from altering the composition of its leadership.
The party had commenced the action following the defection of 37 lawmakers, who won election on its platform, to the opposition APC.
Mr Yunus Usman (SAN), PDP’s counsel had, while arguing his originating summons, faulted the cross-carpeting of the lawmakers, saying that the legislators did so during the dependency of a judgment.
He argued that by virtue of the Oct. 2013 judgment of Justice Evoh Chukwu, which said there was no division in PDP, the matter had been laid to rest.
Usman had further submitted that by virtue of the provision of Section 68(1)(g) of the 1999 Nigerian constitution, as amended, the lawmakers ought to have vacated their seats immediately.
Mr Mamoud Magaji (SAN), counsel to the defendants, had in his submission, argued that it was wrong for the PDP to have sought to restrain its former members from House activities for defecting.
Other defence counsel, Mr Niyi Akintola, SAN, Mr Sebastian Hon, SAN, Mr James Ocholi,SAN, Mr Abiodun Owonikoko,SAN, and Jibril Okutepa,SAN, had prayed the court to dismiss the suit.
(NAN)
Cloud Tag: What's trending
Click on a word/phrase to read more about it.
Coalition Of Kwara North Groups Ahmed Ayinla Jimoh Volunteers Of Ilorin Community And The Emirate Kemi Adeosun Sayomi Umaru Saro Aminu Adisa Logun Kwara State Geographic Information Service Chief Imam Of Offa HAMFAT Clinic And Maternity Democracy Day ER-KANG Mining Nigeria Company Limited Jimoh Lambe Abdulkareem Balogun Ajikobi Abiodun Musa Aibinu Bisi Oyeleke Yusuf Lanre Badmas Samari Ilorin West Special Agro-industrial Processing Zone AbdulRasaq Abdulmajeed Alaro Abdullateef Abdussalam Saad Omo\'ya Funmilayo Braithwaite Mazars Consulting Offa Grammer School Ilorin South Constituency Esuwoye Demola Banu Vasolar Bayo Ajia Bolakale Saka Kwara NIPR Abubakar Aliagan Emmanuel Bello Gafaru Olayiwola Olorisade Abdulganiyu Salahudeen Odo-Owa Roheemat Hammed Bashir Omolaja Bolarinwa Kwara State Health Insurance Agency Imodoye Writer’s Enclave Joseph Bamigboye Maimunat Oloriegbe Aisha Buhari Reuben Paraje Dar-Al-Handasah Consultants Ltd Olateju Lukman Garment Factory Nigeria Computer Society AbdulRazaq AbduMajeed Alaro Isiaka Saka Opobiyi Rebecca Bake Dankaka Police Commissioner Abdulquowiyu Olododo Lawyers Unite Against Corruption 2023 Elections Kishira Kwarareports Ajia-Bako Olohungbebe KW-GIS Iyabo Adewuyi Basit Olatunji Basic Education Certificate Examination Bello John Olanrewaju Abdullahi Imam Abdullahi John Kehinde Salako Prince Bola Ajibola Oke-opin Babatunde Ishola Babaita Alaiye Bolakale Kawu Omotoso Musa Idowu Aremu Doyin Agbamu

