PDP Asks Court To Sack 27 Kano Lawmakers For Defecting To APC

The national headquarters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has asked a Federal High Court sitting in Kano to sack the 27 members of the Kano State House of Assembly for defecting to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The PDP similarly asked the Federal High Court, presided over by Justice Fati Liman for an order of perpetual injunction restraining the affected lawmakers from parading themselves as members of the Kano State House of Assembly. 

The PDP is equally asking the court to direct the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct fresh elections into the seats of the affected lawmakers in the House. The lawmakers are Hon. Isyaku Ali Danja (Gezawa Constituency and current Speaker of the House of Assembly), Engineer Hamisu Ibrahim (Makoda Constituency), Yusuf Babangida Suleiman(Gwale Constituency) and Labaran Abdul (Warawa Constituency). 

Others are Hon. Yahaya Yanusa Daba (D/Kudu Constituency), Zuberu Mamuda( Madobi Constituency)Nuhu Abdullahi Ashika (Wudil Constituency), Nasiru Zakari Sheka Kombotso Constituency ) and Ibrahim Ahmad Gama (Nassarawa Constituency ) among others. Listed also as co-defendants in the suit which comes up on June 23rd, 2014 for hearing are the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC), Kano State House of Assembly, Inspector General of Police (IGP) and the Attorney General of the Federation. 

In the originating summon (FHC/KN/CS/62/20), the plaintiff through its counsel, Barrister Shittu Tajudeen, asked the court to declare that by defecting from the PDP, the political party which sponsored their elections into the Kano State House of Assembly, to the All Progressives Congress, without any known reason, the defendants have contravened the provisions of Section 109, subsection 1g of the 1999 Constitution. 

The PDP stressed that if established that they contravened the provisions of Section 109, sub section 1g of the 1999 constitution as amended, the court should direct them to vacate their seats. Questions for determination, according to the plaintiff, are whether the defendants can defect from the party that sponsored their elections into the Kano House of Assembly to the APC, without any reason.