ABUJA – Condemnation has trailed the federal high court judgement declaring the decampment of 27 sacked Rivers State lawmakers as a pre-election issue.
The Federal High Court in Abuja, on Friday dismissed a defection suit instituted against the 27 former members of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
The suit seeking to replace the 27 lawmakers on account of their defection from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) was dismissed. Justice Peter Lifu who delivered the judgment held that the suit instituted by the Action People’s Party APP was statute barred having not been filed within 14 days allowed by law.
The development has been frowned upon by well meaning Nigerians who lamented that such is a danger to the country’s democracy.
Barr. Tochukwu Oha Constitutional Lawyer, addressing newsmen lamented that the Federal high court in a bid to please some vested interests, introduced a new interpretation to the constitution.
According to him, what the court did today, going against the law is shameful, stating that if it’s not overturned by the appellate or Supreme Court it may be a bad signal .
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He called on the National Judicial Council (NJC) to purge the judiciary of any recklessness and rascality by some of its officers bent on continuously disparaging its integrity.
Oha said, “I’m bewildered at this joke of a ruling by the federal high court. I’m in total disbelief that the court went against the law and introduced a new interpretation to the constitution.
These sacked Lawmakers publicly decamped to APC and have at various times deposed to Affidavits even in a suit at the Federal High Court in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/1681/CS/2023 that they’re now members of the APC owing to the alleged crisis in PDP.
“The position of the law in this respect is very clear that once a member of a political party in the parliament defects to another political party when no crisis exists in the his political party, such a seat is declared vacant.
Their acts of defection is a completed act and the leadership of the House of Assembly of Rivers State has done the needful and it’s no longer an issue that their seats have since been declared vacant.
Let it also be known that presently there’s a subsisting court pronouncement in Suit No. PHC/512/CS/2024 restraining the 27 Lawmakers from parading themselves.
“It’s time that the NJC sits up and purge the judiciary of any recklessness and rascality by some of its officers bent on continuously disparaging the integrity of the Judiciary by delving into the muddy waters of Politics by judgments emanating from their courts.”
