From Godwin Tsa Abuja

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has asked the Federal High Court in Abuja to order the removal of a member of the House of Representatives for Obokun/Oriade Federal Constituency of Osun, Oluwole Oke, for defecting to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

In a fresh suit before the Abuja division of the Federal High Court, the PDP, prayed the court to make an order of mandamus compelling the Speaker, House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, to, forthwith, declare Oke’s seat vacant.
Counsel for the part, Raphael Oyewole, said this would be in strict compliance with Section 68(1)(g) and (2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), having defected without any verifiable division, merger or faction within the political party.

The PDP urged the court to direct Abbas and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to discharge their constitutional duties as provided by the law by declaring the seat vacant and initiating processes for the conduct of a bye-election into the vacant seat in the constituency.

The party sought an order directing the Clerk of the National Assembly (NASS) to withdraw all entitlements and stop payments of salaries, allowances, including benefits to Oke.

It equally sought an order directing the embattled lawmaker to refund all salaries, emoluments, benefits and allowances received from the date of his resignation from PDP to the date of judgment, having unlawfully retained a legislative seat in violation of Section 68(1)(g) of the 1999 Constitution.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the plaintiff (PDP) had, in the originating summons marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1040/2025, sued Oke, House Speaker, Clerk of NASS, Tajudeen Abbas and INEC and 1st to 5th defendants respectively.

The party sought seven questions for determination and eight reliefs.

One of the questions is “whether by virtue of Section 68(1)(g) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), a member of the House of Representatives, such as the 1st defendant is not liable to forfeit his legislative seat, for resigning his membership of the plaintiff’s political party upon whose platform he was elected, to join another political party, in the absence of a division, merger or faction in the plaintiff political party.”

The matter is yet to be assigned to a judge.

Oke, who is a six-term lawmaker, for Obokun/Oriade Federal Constituency of Osun, had said his decision to leave the PDP was after consultation with his political associates, friends, and family members.

Oke, in his resignation letter, dated April 16 and addressed to the PDP chairman in Ward 7, Obokun Local Government Area of Osun, also copied the national and state chairmen of the party.