A Federal High Court in Abuja has sacked former speaker, Yakubu Dogara from the house of representatives over his defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Dogara, who represents Bogoro/Dass federal constituency of Bauchi state, was the speaker of the house of representatives between 2015 and 2019.
In July 2020, he defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC, and said his decision was based on the “failure of governance” in Bauchi.
Following his defection, two different suits were instituted in court against him.
The first suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/883/30 was filed by the Incorporated Trustees of United Global Resources for Peace Organisation, while the second suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1060/20 was filed by the PDP.
Danatus Okorowo, the presiding judge of the federal high court, Okorowo had dismissed the first suit on the grounds that the group lacked a locus standi to institute the matter.
Delivering judgment on the second suit on Friday, Okorowo declared that having defected from PDP to APC, Dogara was no longer qualified to occupy the seat by virtue of Section 68(1)(g) of the constitution.
Justice Okorowo aligned with the argument of the PDP that by defecting from the party that sponsored him to the ninth National Assembly before the expiration of his tenure, Dogara ought to vacate the seat as he was no longer qualified to partake in the activities of the lower house.
The judge, who held that the action of the lawmaker is prohibited by law, agreed that the aim of Section 68(1)(g) was to check political prostitution among the legislators.
“The judgment is therefore given in favour of the plaintiffs I hereby granted the reliefs sought by the plaintiffs,” he declared.
KanyiDaily recalls that the Federal High Court in Abuja had also sacked Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State and his deputy, Kelechi Igwe, on the account of their last year’s defection from the PDP to the APC.
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