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.
Sa\'adu Salahu Sulyman Tejidini Awodun Joseph Yemi Ajayi Yetunde Balogun Senate Ajidagba Aminu Adisa Logun ENetSuD IYA ALFA NLA Solomon Edojah Olaitan Adefila Akeem Olatunji Ayobami Seriki Abdulkarim Adisa Saduki Lafiagi Towobola Abdulrahman Toyin KWTV Elekoyangan Ayo Opadokun Eleyele Abdulsalam Firdaous Amosa NIPR Kwara State Fire Service Abdulkadir Jimoh Abubakar Lah Lanre Jimoh Kwara Teaching Service Commission REO CAKES Ajayi Okasanmi Yakub Lai Gobir Edret Sabi Abel Agboola Babatunde Ilofa Alfa Modibo Belgore Forgo Battery Company Limited Umar Ayinla Saro Sobi Hill Simeon Sayomi Adam Abdullahi Al-Ilory Matthew Babaoye Aso-ofi Kazeem Gbolagade Offorjama Suleiman Idris COVID-19 Palliatives Ope Saraki Demola Banu Labour Party Hamidu Olowo Sunset Workers Irepodun GGDSS Pakata Ayo Salami Elerin Of Adanla Irese Nigeria Computer Society Ibrahim Bio Sayomi Moses Afolayan Egbejila Balogun Gambari Owu Fall Abiodun Jacob Ajiboye Zulkifli Ibraheem Bankole Omisore Olatomiwa Williams All Confederation Of Principals Of Secondary Schools Yusuf AbdulRasheed Saadu Alanamu Council Of The Wise Shade Omoniyi Oba Sulaiman Asude Elerin Of Erin-Ile Kwara Central Abubakar Baba Sulaiman Obuh Suleiman Ajadi

