Court Rules Out Lawsuit Seeking To Sack Ayade Over Defection To APC

Touchaheart Nigeria reports that a  federal high court has dismissed a lawsuit attempting to remove Ben Ayade as governor of Cross River.

Ayade, who was elected on the PDP platform in 2015 and 2019, but converted to the APC on May 20, 2021, was hauled to court by the opposition party, which demanded that he and his deputy leave their positions.

The PDP had asked the court for;

“a declaration that in view of the provisions of section 221 of the Constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and the democratic system of governance operated in Nigeria, votes at the election and elections are won by political parties and not their candidate or the candidates sponsored at the election by the political parties”.

Defection is not an offence under the Nigerian constitution, according to Justice Taiwo Taiwo’s ruling.

He also highlighted the Enugu court of appeal’s decision to uphold David Umahi’s governorship as a precedent.