You left PDP, Now leave your Seat - Court Removes defected lawmakers

THE Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Monday, held that lawmakers who defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have no business again in the House of Representatives, since they left the party that brought them in.

The court held that members in the House who defected from PDP to the opposition party could not validly function as members of the House, because their defection was unconstitutional.

This came as the court stopped the House of Representatives from changing its principal officers, adding that the defected lawmakers ought to have resigned honourably and left the House.

The affected lawmakers have, however, said they will challenge the judgment at the Court of Appeal.

The PDP had sued the House of Representatives and listed as second to 10th defendants all the principal officers of the House, while the defected lawmakers were cited in the matter as the 12th to 53rd defendants.

Speaker of the House, Honourable Aminu Tambuwal, had joined forces with APC lawmakers in asking that the suit be dismissed for want of merit.

Delivering judgment in the suit, Justice Adeniyi Ademola held that the Ooriginating summons was justiceable and hence, the court had jurisdiction to entertain it.

The minority leader, Honourable Gbajabiamila, on Monday, however, picked hole in the ruling and described it as a strange judgment that turned law on its head.

He hinted that his party, the APC, would appeal the judgment.

Honourable Gbajabiamila, while responding to the judgment, said “it is a product of error of court. The lawmakers would be willing to appeal at a higher court.” Tribune News