JUST IN: Court Declines Sack Of Governor Ayade Over Defection To APC

Federal high court in Abuja has declined the sack of Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State over his defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Gatekeepers News reports that the Court on Thursday dismissed the suit seeking the removal of Ayade and his deputy, Ivara Esu, which was brought to It by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

In 2015 and 2019, Ayade was elected on the platform of the PDP, but he defected to the APC on May 20, 2021, along with his deputy.

In the suit, the PDP prayed the court for “a declaration that in view of the provisions of section 221 of the Constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and the democratic system of governance operated in Nigeria, votes at the election and elections are won by political parties and not their candidate or the candidates sponsored at the election by the political parties”.

Justice Taiwo Taiwo, while delivering his judgment on Thursday, held that defection is not an offence in the Nigerian constitution.

The Judge cited the recent Enugu court of appeal judgement which refused to sack David Umahi as Ebonyi State governor.