Ruling on Ayade’s Defection adjourned till April 6

A Federal High Court in Abuja has adjourned ruling in a suit the Peoples Democratic Party filed against Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River.

The PDP, through its counsel Emmanuel Ukala, SAN, had filed the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/975/2021 before Justice Taiwo Taiwo to seek an order sacking the governor and his deputy over their defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC), among others.

• FULL LIST: 20 Cross River Lawmakers Sacked Over Defection
• Defection: 20 C/River lawmakers sacked, Umahi’s stay of execution struck out

The judgement had been initially been fixed for Friday, but the case has been adjourned till April 6, 2022.

On Monday, the judge had ordered two House of Representatives members representing Cross River and 18 lawmakers from the state’s House of Assembly to vacate their seats over their defection to APC.

The judge gave the order following a suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/971/2021 filed on August 27, 2021, by the PDP to challenge the 20 lawmakers’ defection to APC, alongside the governor on May 20, 2021.

Justice Taiwo, in the judgment, dismissed the defence argument that the PDP (plaintiff) had no locus standi (legal rights) to institute the case.

He also dismissed other preliminary objections raised by the sacked lawmakers.

Taiwo ruled that the argument of the lawmakers that there was rancour in the PDP which necessitated their defection to APC was a ploy to mislead the court.

The judge, who granted all the reliefs sought by the PDP, held that it was disheartening that politicians in the country treat citizens as if they do not matter once they get into office.

“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,” he said.