PDP, APC Disagree As Court Sacks 20 Cross River Lawmakers For Defecting
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) have reacted differently to the court order which sacked twenty lawmakers in Cross River State for defecting from one party to the other.
The PDP on its part said it would move to enforce the high court order while the APC said the order can’t stand as it would be appealed at a court of higher jurisdiction.
This follows the earlier report by Naija News that twenty members of the Cross River State House of Assembly have been sacked for dumping the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressive Congress (APC).
Justice Taiwo Taiwo of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, sacked the lawmakers in a ruling on Monday, Naija News reports.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had filed a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/975/2021 against the lawmakers alongside Governor Ben Ayade over their defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The presiding judge ruled that the lawmakers ought to vacated their seats having abandoned the political party that brought them to power.
Justice Taiwo, however, ordered the Assembly Speaker and the other lawmakers who defected from the PDP to the APC should immediately vacate their seats.
He held that all salaries and allowances paid to the lawmakers from the period of their defection to the present should be forfeited to the government coffers.
Reacting to the development, the PDP Chairman in Cross River State, Venatius Ikem, said the court order is welcome and is good for democracy.
He added that, “We will enforce the judgment in accordance with extant due processes. It’s not rocket science to enforce a judgment of the courts. That’s the least of our concerns right now.”
On its part, however, the APC through its State Publicity Secretary, Erasmus Ekpang said the judgment can not stand.
“The Federal High Court judgment that was given against our lawmakers is nothing to worry about.
“We trust that the appellate court will do justice as we file our appeal,” Ekpang stated.
This article was originally published on Nigeria News
