According to DAILY POST sources, the Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a defection complaint against 27 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly who supported Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike. The parliamentarians were sued by the Action People’s Party (APP) for allegedly defecting from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), with the goal of replacing them.CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
Delivering the judgment, Justice Peter Lifu ruled that the suit was statute-barred, as it was filed eight months after the alleged defection, far beyond the 14-day limit allowed by law. The lawmakers were said to have defected in December, but the APP brought the case on July 12.
Justice Lifu also noted that the suit was an abuse of court process, citing previous rulings on the same issue. He referenced a July judgment by Justice James Omotosho, which barred the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from declaring the lawmakers’ seats vacant or conducting elections to replace them. Since that judgment had not been appealed or set aside, it remained binding.
The court emphasized that it could not act as an appellate court over its own rulings. Consequently, the suit was dismissed on multiple grounds, including the lack of sufficient evidence to support the alleged defection.CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
