Defection: Court Sacks Ali Ahmad, Moshood Mustapha and 35 Other Reps.

Date: 2014-03-31

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.

Oluwarotimi Boluwatife Adenike     Colleges Of Education Academic Staff Union     Talaka Parapo     AbdulRazaq Abubakar Jiddah     Moshood Mustapha     Kwara University Of Education     Minimum Wage     Olofa Of Offa     Tunde Saad     Elewu     Shuaib Abdulkadir     Oloye     Okanlawon Musa     Ifelodun     Adamu Attah     Kamaldeen Gambari     ASUU     Tunde Oyawoye     Abdullahi Atanda     Neo Mundo Ltd     Salami Adekunle     Olabimpe Olani     Kwabes     AGILE Programme     Kazeem Oladepo     Kwara Hotel     Tunji Oyawoye     Mazars Consulting     Siddiq Adebayo Idowu Salawu     Isiaka Gold     Baba Idris     Innocent Okoye     Kwara State Polytechnic     Babatunde Ajeigbe     Idiagbon     Akeem Lawal     Overland     SAPZ Project     Isiaka Saka Opobiyi     Ridhwanullah Al-Ilory     Oko     James Kolo     Muhammed Taofeeq Abdulrazaq     Sheikh Ridhwanullah El-ilory     Saidu Yaro Musa     Ayoade Akinnibosun     Saliu Oluwole     Vasolar-Kwara Company Ltd     Elerin Of Erin-Ile     Bola Olukoju     Post Utme     Bio Ibrahim     Tunde Kazeem     Bond     Bolakale Saka     Muslimah Entrepreneurship Forum     Abdulquowiyu Olododo     ENetSuD     Bola Magaji     CCT     Hassan Oyeleke     Pakata Patriots     Amule     Alfa Modibo Belgore     Yetunde Balogun     CCB     Olayinka Are     Danladi     Garba Ayodele Wahab     Taiwo Joseph     Abdulfatah Ahmed     Simeon Ajibola     Suleiman Idris     Moro     Economic And Financial Crimes Commission     Zulkifli Ibraheem     Bashir Omolaja Bolarinwa    

Cloud Tag: What's trending

Click on a word/phrase to read more about it.

SSA Youth     Offa Poly     Christian Association Of Nigeria     Suleiman Yahya Alapansapa     Isin     Olateju Lukman     Abdulrauf Yusuf     Kassim Babamale     Abdulkarim Adisa     Issa Baba     Jalala     Rapheal Ashaolu     Adamu Ibrahim Sabi     NAWOJ     George Innih     Labaeka     Sheikh Ridhwanullah     Rashidi Yekini     Michael Nzwekwe     Abatemi Usman     Firdaos Amasa     Ado Bayero     Oladimeji Thompson     Olatunji Ayeni     Ahmad Fatima Bisola     UNILORIN Alumni     Gabriel Fashanu     Lanwa     UTME     Imodoye Writer’s Enclave     Rafiu Ajakaye     Charles Ibitoye     Abraysports FC     Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital     Olayinka Jelili Yusuf     Ishaq Salman     Veterinary Teaching Hospital     Chief Imam Of Ilorin     Abdulkadir Akanbi-Oke     Abdulrazaq Adebayo     Abdulrazaq Solihudeen     Lawal Jimoh     CACOVID     Maigida Soludero Transit     KWACOBPA     Joana Nnazua Kolo     Mohammed Kamaludeen     Ministry Of Women Affairs And Social Development     Abdullahi Biffo     Akanbi-Oke     Bello Abubakar     KwaraLearn     Peter Obi     Seni Saraki     Dasuki Belgore     Osi     Bolakale Kawu Agaka     Tsaragi/Share     Zainab Abass     Iyabo Adisa Ibiyeye     Esinrogunjo     Gambari     Unilorin FM     John Olajide Adedipe     Ibrahim Oniye     Garba Ayodele Wahab     Shehu Adaramaja     Isiaka Abdulrazak     Umar Ahmed Gunu     Muhammed Danjuma     Matthew Babaoye     Kwara North     Bolaji Nagode     TESCOM     Amuda Bembe     Kwara Coalition Of Business And Professional Associations     Hamidat Sulyman-Yusuf