By Olusegun Emmanuel, Abuja.
The Federal High Court in Abuja yesterday ordered the thirty-seven 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 the judgment yesterday, Justice Adeniyi Ademola held that the defected lawmakers had no moral or legal right to stay in the House of the Representatives.
He said they should honourably resign from their seats having moved to another political party and unambiguous that the defendants were sponsored by the PDP and won the election on its platform.
He further argued that the defecting lawmakers were, therefore, not competent to vote or contribute to any proceedings in the House of Representatives.
Counsel to PDP Mr Yunus Usman (SAN), while arguing his originating summons, faulted the cross-carpeting of the lawmakers, saying that the legislators did so to achieve selfish motive.
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.
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.
Counsel to the defected lawmakers, Mr Mamoud Magaji (SAN), 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.
It will be recalled that the PDP had on Jan. 7 instituted a suit seeking to restrain the House of Representatives from altering the composition of its leadership.
