Cross Rivers State Speaker, 19 lawmakers Sacked By Court over defection

The Federal High Court in Abuja, on Monday, sacked the Speaker of the Cross Rivers House of Assembly, Eteng Williams, and 19 of his colleagues over their defection from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The judge, Taiwo Taiwo, while delivering judgment on a suit instituted by the PDP to challenge the lawmakers’ defection, dismissed all the preliminary objections raised by the sacked lawmakers.

“A day must surely come when elected officials, must ask the people who voted for them before defecting to other political parties,” Mr Taiwo said.

He noted that “lawmakers wined and dined under the umbrella of the PDP,” but ditched the party even when there was no justification for their action.

“The defendants’ court documents were contrived and filled with loopholes. The papers are manifestly defective,” the judge said while granting all the reliefs sought by the PDP.

The defendants in the suit were the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the APC, and the clerk of the State House of Assembly.

The judgment comes two weeks after Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja sacked Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State, his deputy, Kelechi Igwe, along with 15 lawmakers in the state House of Assembly.