Court Grants 22 Senators,57 House Members Leave To Dump PDP For APC

 

Federal High Court sitting in Abuja yesterday granted the prayer of 22 Senators and 57 House of Representatives members seeking leave of the court to restrain Senate President David Mark and House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, from declaring their seats vacant.

The lawmakers were members of the new Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who have now defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The PDP had gone to court to seek an order to declare the seats of the lawmakers vacant.

The defendants in the suit are National Chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the PDP and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Justice A.R. Mohammed, after hearing from counsel to the Plaintiffs, directed that the 2nd and 3rd defendants (Mark and Tambuwal) should be asked to maintain status quo on any proposed deliberation to declare the seats of the affected and interested Plaintiffs vacant pending the hearing and determination of the Plaintiffs’ motion for interlocutory injunction.

He adjourned the suit to January 22 for hearing of the Plaintiffs’ motion dated 28th November, 2013 for interlocutory injunction. He directed that hearing notices should be issued to the 2nd and 3rd defendants.