A Federal High Court in Abuja, on Friday, ordered former Speaker of House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, to vacate his seat as member representing Dass, Tafawa Balewa and Bogoro Federal Constituency in Bauchi State.
Delivering judgment, Justice Donatus Okorowo declared that having defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dogara was no longer qualified to occupy the seat under Section 68(1)(g) of the Constitution.
Justice Okorowo aligned with the argument of the PDP that by defecting from the party that sponsored him to the ninth National Assembly before the expiration of his tenure, Dogara ought to vacate the seat as he was no longer qualified partake in the activities of the lower house.
The judge, who held that the lawmaker’s action was prohibited by law, agreed that the aim of Section 68(1)(g) was to check political prostitution among legislators.
“The judgment is, therefore, given in favour of the plaintiffs. I hereby grant the reliefs sought by the plaintiffs,” he declared.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the PDP and one of its members in Bauchi State had, in a suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1060/20, sued Dogara, the speaker of the House of Representatives.
Other defendants were the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the APC, as 1st to 4th defendants, respectively.