An Abuja Division of the Federal High Court on Monday ordered the removal from office, 20 members of the Cross River State House of Assembly over their defection last year from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The judgment delivered by
Justice Taiwao Taiwo, held that the affected state legislators cannot continue to occupy office having dumped the party that brought them into office.
The state lawmakers had joined the Governor, Prof. Ben Ayade, and his deputy to dump the PDP in 2021 for the APC.
But the PDP, in a suit instituted on its behalf by Emmanuel Ukala (SAN), approached the court to challenge the legality of the actions of the defectors.
However, in his judgment, the court agreed with the plaintiff that the defendants’ continued stay in office amounts to an illegality having crossed over to another party.
The judge held that votes belong to a political party and that the electorate voted for the legislators because they contested on the platform of the PDP and not in their individual capacity.
The judge therefore ordered them to vacate office having defected from the PDP to the APC.
The court agreed with the plaintiff that the defendants’ continued stay in office amounts to an illegality having crossed over to another party.
The judge held that votes belong to a political party and that the electorate voted for the legislators because they contested on the platform of the PDP and not in their individual capacity.
The judge therefore ordered them to vacate office having defected from the PDP to the APC.
Credit: The Cable
