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.

Abdulrazaq Solihudeen     Adesina Simon Sodiya     Rihanat Ajia     Shuaib Jawondo     Olushola Saraki     Siraj Oyewale     Guber Aspirant     Lai Gobir     Clement Yomi Adeboye     Mohammed Haruna     Moses Afolayan     Issa Oloruntogun     Sulaiman Gado     Transition Implementation Committee     Ajidagba     Hausa     Mohammed Ibrahim     Abdulmajeed Abdullahi     Deji Ajani     Ojo Isekuse     Olokoba     Abiodun Oyedepo     Aminu Ado Bayero     Ilorin Innovation Hub     Omar Gambari     2017 Budget     Tunde Akanbi     Joseph Alex Offorjama     Abdulrazaq Akorede     March 28     Kayode Yusuf     Dagbalodo     Folorunsho Alao     Kwara Polytechnic     Trade Lenda SME Fair     Olatunde Michaels     James Kolo     Soffiyyallah Kamaldeen     Imodoye Writer’s Enclave     Tunde Mukaila Mustapha     Adeniyi Ojo     Bankole Omisore     Ayinde Oki     Ibrahim Abikan     Habeeb Saidu     Oke-Ode     Olaiya Lawal     Kunle Suleiman     Kolawole Bashirat     Musibau Akanji     Hamid Bobboyi     Asiwaju Bola Tinubu     Abdulfatai Ahmed     Charcoal     Muyiwa Oladipo Kanu     Offa     Adolescent Girls Initiative For Learning And Empowerment     Vasolar Consortium     Kwara State Television (KWTV)     Ilorin South     Abdullahi Imam Abdullahi     Fawenu     AbdulRaheem Ahmad Shayi     Okin Biscuit     Dar-Al-Handasah Consultants     KWATMA     Rotimi Samuel Olujide     Abdullahi Biffo     Garba Ayodele Wahab     Madawaki Of Ilorin     Bola Olukoju     Aisha Ahman-Pategi     Sai Kayi     Jaiz Bank     Sheikh Ariyibi     Micheal Imodu-Ganmo Road     Air Peace    

Cloud Tag: What's trending

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

Okin Malt     Yusuf Olaolu Ali     Deji Ajani     Unilorin FM     Amuda Aluko     Yahaya Muhammad     Al-Hikmah University     Ibrahim Kayode Adeyemi     Sherif Sagaya     AbdulRazaq AbduMajeed Alaro     Damilola Yusuf     Babatunde Ajeigbe     Omar Bolaji Gambari     Ilorin Metro Park     Abdulrahman Iliasu     Musa Ayinla Yeketi     Mumini Ishola Hanafi     Abraysports FC     Hassan Abdulazeez Elewu     Aisha Buhari     Aminu Ado Bayero     Onikijipa     Mamatu Abdullahi     QuickWin     Sulaiman Gado     Joseph Yemi Ajayi     Aisha Gobir     Jare Olatundun     Offa     M.Y. Abdulrahaman     KWSIEC     Abdullahi Imam Abdullahi     Tunji Moronfoye     Samuel Elizabeth Keatswa     CUTI     Niyi Ogundiran     TIC     Neo Mundo Ltd     Oyelere Oyinloye     Funmilayo Mohammed     Toyin Abdullahi     John Obuh     Isaac Aderemi Kolawole     Raliat AbdulRazaq     Arinola Fatimoh Lawal     Oba Abdulrahim     Aliyu Muhammad Saifudeen     Is\'haq Modibbo Kawu     AbdulRasaq Abdulmajeed Alaro     Nagode     Osuwa     Sango-UITH Road     Ahmed Mohammed Rifun     Mustapha AbdulGaniyu     Dairo Kunle Paul     Cassava Growers\' Association     Jamila Bio Ibrahim     Bolakale Saka     Ben Duntoye     Jimoh Saadudeen Muhammed     Grillo     Akanbi-Oke     Prince Sunday Fagbemi     Aliyu Alhassan     Abdulmumini Jawondo     Third Estate     Sobi     Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq     Bond     Alabi Olayemi Abdulrazak     Sheu Ndanusa Usman     Abdulhakeem Amao     Oloriegbe     Tsaragi-Share     Atiku Abubakar     NSCIA     Abiodun Jacob Ajiboye