The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Friday, declared the seat of the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, vacant, following his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
The court, in a judgement that was delivered by Justice Donatus Okorowo, held that Dogara, having abandoned the political party that sponsored his election, ought to vacate his seat in line with the provisions of sections 68(1) (g) and 109 (1) (g) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
His sack followed a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1060/2020, which was lodged before the court by the PDP.
It will be recalled that Dogara was in 2019, re-elected on the platform of the PDP to represent Dass, Tafawa Balewa and Bogoro Federal Constituency of Bauchi State at the National Assembly.
Dissatisfied with his action, the PDP and its Bauchi State Chairman, Hamza Akuyam, through their team of lawyers led by Chief Chris Uche, SAN, approached the court to declare his seat vacant.
The Plaintiffs, among other things, contended that by virtue of section 68(1)(g) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, Dogara, ought to vacate the seat for abandoning the party that sponsored him to the 9th National Assembly, before the expiration of his tenure.
In a supporting affidavit that was deposed to by the 2nd Plaintiff, Akuyam, he told the court that there was no crisis or division in the PDP, the political platform through which Dogara was elected as a serving member of the National Assembly in the last general election.
He further told the court that there were no mergers or internal crisis in the PDP to justify Dogara’s action.
According to the Plaintiffs, having defected from the PDP before the expiration of his tenure, Dogara, “has lost his seat/office as a member of the House of Representatives and is no longer entitled to participate in the legislative proceedings and other businesses of the National Assembly and/or entitled to salaries and allowances as a member of the National Assembly”.
The Plaintiffs further contended that considering the facts and circumstances of the case, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Gbajabiamila, is under legal obligation to declare Dogara’s seat vacant and allow the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to conduct a bye-election for his replacement.
Specifically, the Plaintiffs prayed the court to declare that Dogara has ceased to be a member of the National Assembly from the date he defected to the APC.
As well as for an order directing the Speaker of the House of Representatives to give effect to section 68(1) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, and to forthwith declare Dogara’s seat vacant to enable INEC to conduct a bye-election for his replacement.
Aside from Dogara, other Defendants in the suit were the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), INEC and the APC.
Though both Dogara and the APC, urged the court to dismiss the suit for want of competence, Justice Okorowo, in his judgement, dismissed their objections and granted all the reliefs that were sought by the Plaintiffs.
