JUST IN: Court Postpones Judgment On Ayade’s Defection
The ruling in a suit filed by the Peoples Democratic Party against Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River has been postponed till April 6 by a Federal High Court in Abuja.
On March 22, Justice Taiwo Taiwo scheduled the hearing for Friday.
NAN, on the other hand, learned from Court 7, presided over by Justice Taiwo, on Friday morning that the ruling, which had been scheduled for today, had been postponed because it was not ready.
The PDP had filed the FHC/ABJ/CS/975/2021 suit before Justice Taiwo, through its lawyer Emmanuel Ukala, SAN, seeking an order dismissing the governor and his deputy over their defection to the All Progressives Congress, among other things.
On Monday, Taiwo ordered two members of the House of Representatives from Cross River and 18 members of the state’s House of Assembly to resign their seats due to their defection to the APC.
The order came after the PDP filed a lawsuit on August 27, 2021, titled FHC/ABJ/CS/971/2021, challenging the 20 lawmakers’ and governor’s defection to the APC on May 20, 2021.
In his decision, Justice Taiwo dismissed the defense claim that the PDP (plaintiff) lacked locus standi (legal standing) to bring the action.
Other preliminary arguments submitted by the ousted legislators were also disregarded.
The lawmakers’ contention that there was rancor in the PDP, necessitating their defection to the APC, was declared by Taiwo to be a ruse to deceive the court.
The court, who accepted all of the PDP’s requests, said it was depressing that leaders in the country treat citizens as if they are unimportant once they are elected.
“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.
According to him, we cannot continue in sin and expect grace to abound.
The affected two members of the House of Representatives from the state are Michael Etaba and Legor Idagbor.
The 18 state’s lawmakers include the Speaker, House of Assembly, Eteng Williams; Mich Etaba, Legor Idagbor, Joseph Bassey, Odey Agbe and Okon Ephraim.
Others are Regina Anyogo, Matthew Olory, Ekpo Bassey, Ogbor Udop, Ekpe Okon, Hillary Bisong, Francis Asuquo, Elvert Ayambem, Davis Etta, Sunday Achunekan, Cynthia Nkasi, Edward Ajang, Chris Ogar and Maria Akwaji.
While Mr Etaba represents Obubra/Etung Federal Constituency of Cross River, Mr Idagbor represents Obudu/Obaliku/Bekwarra Federal Constituency of the state.
A sister judge, Inyang Ekwo had, also, on March 8, sacked Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi and other lawmakers who defected alongside Umahi to APC.
(NAN)
