A Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday fixed April 8 for the adoption of final written addresses in a suit filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara and others.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the PDP is praying the court for an order removing Matawalle as governor over his defection from the party to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The party also asked the court to sack the senators, House of Representatives members and State House of Assembly members who decamped alongside the governor to APC.
This comes days after a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja sacked Ebonyi State governor, Dave Umahi and his deputy Kelechi Igwe over their defection to the APC from the PDP.
Justice Inyang Ekwo in his ruling held that the total number of 393, 042 votes governor Umahi secured during the March 9, 2019 governorship election in Ebonyi state, belonged to the PDP and same could not be legally transferred to the APC.
According to the court, having defected to the APC, both Umahi and his deputy, not only jettisoned the PDP, but also the votes that belonged to it.
But the duo in their notice of appeal filed at the Court of Appeal, Abuja, said they disagreed with the entire judgement of the lower court, which ordered their sack for defecting to the PDP.
They argued that the Federal High Court was virtually setting aside the Supreme Court of Nigeria’s decision in AG Federation v. Atiku Abubakar & 3 ORS (2007) LCN/3799 (SC) to the effect that there is no constitutional provisions prohibiting president or vice and invariably the governor and or deputy governor from defecting to another political party.
