The Federal High Abuja has fixed Friday, March 25, 2022, for the judgment on the defection of Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State from the Peoples Democratic Party to the ruling All Progressives Congress.
In a suit filed by PDP, the party seeks the removal of Ayade and his deputy, Ivara Esu, from office following their defection to the APC.
The PDP in the suit prayed the court for “a declaration that in view of the provisions of section 221 of the Constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and the democratic system of governance operated in Nigeria, votes at the election and elections are won by political parties and not their candidate or the candidates sponsored at the election by the political parties.”
However, on Monday, March 21, 2020, Justice Taiwo sacked 20 members of Cross Rivers House of Assembly, who defected to the APC. The judge while delivering judgment said the lawmakers left the PDP when there was no justification to do so.
He said: “A day must surely come when elected officials, must either resign from their office or ask the people who voted for them before defecting to other political parties, instead of defecting to another party without recourse to the law and the citizens.”
Meanwhile, police operatives have taken over the Cross Rivers House of Assembly following the sacking of the lawmakers.
