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17 Ebonyi lawmakers to lose seats over defection to APC

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Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Tuesday ordered the 17 members of the Ebonyi State House of Aseembly who joined Governor Dave Umahi in the All Progressives Congress (APC) to vacate their seats.

The judge, who delivered the judgment while ruling on the application filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), held that the lawmakers, having abandoned the political party that sponsored them could not transfer the mandate they obtained from the ballot to another political party.

He said the lawmakers who became members of House of Assembly on the platform of the PDP could not justify their defection when there was no division in the PDP.

Justice Ekwo noted that section 109(1) (g) of the 1999 Constitution was purposely meant to ensure that defectors were not allowed to retain their seat in the House, unless such defectors are able to justify their action, which means that the case PDP brought against the lawmakers had merit.

READ ALSO: Ebonyi APC accuses PDP of instigating violence, disharmony

He also made an order of mandatory injunction compelling the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to accept a list of candidates from the PDP to replace the sacked lawmakers, as well as to issue Certificate of Return to them.

In the alternative, the judge directed INEC to conduct fresh elections to fill up the vacant positions within 90 days of the judgment.

The judge had earlier ordered the removal of the governor for switching to APC in November 2020.

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