Twenty members of the Cross River State House of Assembly have been dismissed for defecting to the All Progressive Congress (APC) from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) (APC).
In a judgement issued on Monday, Justice Taiwo Taiwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja fired the legislators.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) launched a lawsuit against the MPs and Governor Ben Ayade over their defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC) (APC).
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The presiding court ordered that the legislators should relinquish their seats because they had left the political party that had brought them to prominence.
The Assembly Speaker and other lawmakers who defected from the PDP to the APC, on the other hand, were ordered by Justice Taiwo to resign their seats immediately.
He claimed that all wages and allowances provided to parliamentarians from the time they defected till now should be forfeited to the government.
Michael Etaba, Legor Idagbor, Eteng Jonah William, Joseph A. Bassey, Odey Peter Agbe, Okon E. Ephraim, Regina L. Anyogo, Matthew S. Olory, Ekpo Ekpo Bassey, Ogbor Ogbor Udop, and Ekpe Charles Okon are among the lawmakers affected.
Francis B. Asuquo, Elvert Ayambem, Davis Etta, Sunday U. Achunekan, Cynthia Nkasi, Edward Ajang, Chris Nja-Mbu Ogar, and Maria Akwaji are among the others.
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Mike Ozekhome (SAN), counsel for the 4th-25th defendants, has contested the court’s jurisdiction to hear the case.
He submitted that the cause of action arose in Calabar and that the matter should be transferred to the high court in Calabar.
But the presiding judge held that there is nothing against the law that the suit is heard by the court, adding that he finds no merit in the application for transfer.
Justice Taiwo said the 4th-25th defendants are joined with other defendants who have their offices in Abuja.
Recall that a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja had also sacked the Speaker of the Ebonyi State House of Assembly, Hon. Francis Nwifuru.
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Justice Inyang Ekwo while delivering his judgement directed the Speaker and other lawmakers who dumped the Peoples Democratic Party in 2020 following the defection of the state Governor, David Umahi to the All Progressives Congress to vacate his seat.
Ekwo also directed that all lawmakers who were elected on the platform of the PDP and defected to APC should vacate their seats.
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