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.

Lukman Oyebanji Fagbemi     AbdulFatai Adeniyi Dan-Kazeem     Florence Saraki     NURTW     Moronfoye     Coronavirus     SSA Youth     TETFUND     Sheikh Ariyibi     Mohammed Abduraheem     Saudat Abdulbaqi     Bayo Onimago     ASUU     Saidu Yaro Musa     Shururat Olatinwo     Mustapha AbdulGaniyu     Lafiagi     Muritala Awodun     Bello Bature     Ilorin Talaka Parapo     Amosa     Abdulsalam A. Yusuf     Yinka Aluko     Olayinka Are     Olusin Of Ijara Isin     Issa Memunat Moyosore     Iyabo Dupe Adekeye     Abdulrauf Aliyu     TIIDELab     Suleiman Alege Kuranga     Kwara Basketball Association     Al-Adaby     Ahmed Ayinla Jimoh     Dele Momodu     Usman Alkali Baba     Lucky Omoluwa     Temitope Ogunbanke     Wasiu Onidugbe     Offorjama     Academic Staff Union Of Universities     Kwara Consultative Forum     Alaiye     Bello Oyedepo     Musa Alhassan Buge     Amos Sayo     Yusuf Amuda Gobir     Ado Ibrahim     Oluwole Dupe     Abdulraufu Mustapha     Onikijipa     Emmanuel Olatunji Adesoye     Playing Host     Kwara 2019     KWAFFA     Mopelola Abdulmaliq-Bashir     Osi     Olusegun Adeniyi     Halimah Perogi     Allocation     Yemi Osinbajo     Dar-Al-Handasah Consultants Ltd     Ilesha-Gwanara     Women For Change And Development Initiative     Salihu Alhaji Musa     Tanke Road     Oba Mogaji Abdulkadir     Sadiq Umar     Aro Yahaya     Muhammed Danjuma     Roheemat Hammed     Sa\'adatu Modibbo-Kawu     Okasanmi Ajayi     Shuaibu Yaman     KWSUED     Lithium Deposit     NYSC     Hamza Usman    

Cloud Tag: What's trending

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

Razak Atunwa     Jimoh Lambe Abdulkareem     Olaiya Victor Mobolaji     Idris Amosa Oladipo Saidu     Federal Road Maintenance Agency     Olayinka Olaogun     Amasa     Mashood Dauda     Ahmad Lawan     Saudat Abdulbaqi     Muhammad Yahya     Seun Bolaji     Baba Isale     EFCC     General Hospital, Ilorin     Yahaya Seriki Gambari     Clement Yomi Adeboye     Abdulfatai Salman Baakini     Harafat E. Mukadam     KWASSIP     Wahab Abayawo     Kunle Suleiman     Atiku Abubakar     Akanji     Akeem Lawal     Elerin Of Adanla Irese     Abdulazeez Arowona     All Peoples Party     Buari Edun     Mary Kemi Adeosun     Isiaka AbdulRazaq     Bayo Lawal     Oyawoye     Surajudeen Akanbi     ARMTI     Shaaba Lafiagi     Jimoh Olusola Imam     Road Transport Employers Association Of Nigeria     Okin Malt     Yahaya Abdulkareem     Busari Toyin Isiaka     Erin-ile     Kayode Bankole     International Vocational Centre     Niyi Osundare     Sambo Murtala     Oluranti Idowu     Okin Biscuits     Sulyman Atolagbe Alege     Elelu     Issa Oloruntogun     Kazeem Gbolagade     Ethical College     Otuka     Col. Adedipe     Solomon Edojah     Oyelere Oyinloye     Abegunde Goke     Dauda Adesola     AbdulGafar Tosho     Umar Ayinla Saro     Ajakaye     Javed Khan     Mashood Abdulrafiu Agboola     Sola Saraki University     Funmilayo Braithwaite     Albert Ogunsola     Saliu Oluwole     Freshvine Nigeria Limited     C2c@kwarastate.gov.ng     Esuwoye     Oniyangi Kunle Sulaiman     Smart School     Chief Imam Of Omu-Aran     Kwara Basketball Association     Abdulrazaq Aiyelabegan     IHS Towers