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From Godwin Tsa, Abuja
The scheduled judgment in a suit seeking to sack Cross River State Governor, Ben Ayade and his deputy, Prof. Ivara Ejemot Esu from office over their defection to the All Progressive Congress (APC) has now been shifted to April 6.
Justice Taiwo Taiwo of the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court had originally fixed March 25 to deliver the judgment. However, the judge was unable to deliver his judgment yesterday even as his court sat. Competent sources told Saturday Sun that the judgment has been shifted to April 6.
In a suit marked FHC/ABJ/ CS/975/2021, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), through its counsel, Emmanuel Ukala, SAN, is seeking an order sacking the governor and his deputy on account of their defection to APC.
Already Taiwo had in his earlier judgment on Monday, ordered two House of Representatives members representing Cross River and 18 lawmakers from the state’s House of Assembly to vacate their seats, following their defection to APC.
Ayade was elected on the platform of the PDP in 2015 and 2019, but defected to APC on May 20, 2021 along with his deputy, and declared that Cross River State is “now an APC state” and effectively caused the governance of the state to be in the control of the APC.
The party (PDP) argued that the mandate given by the electorate in Cross River State was to the PDP and Ayade as the candidate of the party at the election, and that the governor could not transfer the mandate to APC or any other political party. The plaintiff is equally seeking a judicial declaration giving it an opportunity to nominate a replacement to the seat of the governor and the deputy governor in Cross River State.
Another judge of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, Justice Inyang Ekwo had in his judgment in a similar suit, ordered Governor Dave Umahi of Eboyi State, his deputy and 16 members of the state House of Assembly to vacate their seats on account of their decamping to the APC.
