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PDP sues Dogara, wants him sacked from House over defection to APC
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has sued Yakubu Dogara at a Federal High Court in Abuja asking that he should be sacked from the House of Representatives.
Dogara, a former Speaker of the House, currently represents Dass/Tafawa Balewa/Bogoro federal constituency of Bauchi State at the House.
He was re-elected to represent the constituency at the house during the 2019 general election under the platform of the PDP.
However, in July, 2020, Dogara dumped the PDP and defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Not comfortable with the development, the PDP is praying the court to order Dogara to vacate the seat since he had defected from the party that sponsored his re-election to the House of Reps.
READ ALSO: APC grants waivers to Dogara, Umahi, others ahead of 2023 elections
The plaintiffs, the PDP and its Bauchi State Chairman, Hamza Koshe, in their suit said among other things that by virtue of Section 68(1)(g) of the constitution, Dogara ought to vacate the seat for defecting from the party that sponsored him to the 9th National Assembly before the expiration of his tenure.
According to them, Dogara no longer merits taking part in the activities of the House of Reps while still using the PDP ticket.
Defendants in the filed by the plaintiffs’ lawyer, Jibrin S. Jibrin, are Dogara, the House of Reps Speaker, the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the APC.
In its supporting affidavit, Akuyam contended that there was no crisis or division in the first plaintiff, being the political platform by which the election of the first defendant (Dogara) as a serving member of the National Assembly was sponsored and from which he has defected to the fifth defendant (APC) before the expiration of the period for which he was elected.
The suit is before Justice Okon Abang and was meant to be heard on December 7.
It was, however, not heard as scheduled and was rescheduled for hearing for March 5, 2021.
By Ebere Ndukwu…
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