A SUIT seeking the removal of Cross Rivers State governor Ben Ayade over his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressive Congress (APC) would be decided on Friday.
The suit was filed before Justice Taiwo Taiwo of an Abuja Federal High Court by the PDP shortly after Ayade defected from the party in 2021.
Represented by its lawyer, Emmanuel Ukala, the PDP wants the court to sack Ayade, and his deputy, Ivara Esu.
The ICIR reported that the court on Monday sacked 20 members of the Cross River State House of Assembly for defecting from the PDP to the APC.
The judge held that the lawmakers, having abandoned the political party that sponsored them to power, ought to vacate their seats.
He dismissed all the preliminary objections raised by the sacked lawmakers through their lawyer, Mike Ozekhome, SAN.
He noted that the lawmakers wined and dined under the umbrella of the PDP but ditched the party even when there was no justification for their action.
The judge declared the lawmakers’ seats vacant and restrained them from further parading themselves as members of the state house of assembly.
He also directed INEC to withdraw their certificates of return and accept new nominees from the PDP to fill the vacancies.
Justice Taiwo’s judgment comes two weeks after Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja sacked Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State, his deputy, Kelechi Igwe, along with 15 lawmakers in the State House of Assembly, also for defecting from the APC to the PDP.
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