Court sacks Ondo Reps member for defecting to ACN

THE Federal High Court sitting in Akure, Ondo State, on Wednesday, sacked the member representing Akure South/Akure North in the House of Representatives, Mr Ifedayo Abegunde, on the grounds that he dumped the Labour Party (LP) for the opposition Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).Abegunde had, earlier in the year, defected from the LP, on whose ticket he was elected to the House of Represesntatives, over an alleged crisis within the ruling party.

Following his defection and in order to prevent his being recalled from the National Assembly, Abegunde approached the court for protection.

In the action filed by his counsel, Kola Adewoye, the lawmaker prayed the court to declare that with the current imbroglio allegedly bedeviling the LP, he could dump the party for the ACN.

He also approached the court for protection against his recall by the state House of Assembly; Labour Party; speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The defence counsel, who is also the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Eyitayo Jegede, leading the Director of Civil Litigation, Mr Rotimi Olamide, however, submitted that since Abegunde had dumped LP and had not proved any division within the party, he had automatically vacated his seat as a federal lawmaker.

In her judgment, Justice Gloria Okeke said without a political party, no candidate could contest an election, adding that Abegunde could not prove the alleged division and crisis within the LP.

According to her, the issue raised by Abegunde was not a dispute that should warrant his defection to the ACN, adding that it was a constitutional matter that a parliamentarian who defected in this manner “shall mandatorily vacate his seat.”

Reacting, Governor Olusegun Mimiko described the judgment as victory for the masses that voted en masse for the LP.

The governor, who made the statement while addressing a crowd of members of the party in Akure, said “I want to assure you that nobody can fight God and win. Labour Party is God’s own party.”

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