PDP To APC: Court Rejects Suit Seeking Sack Of Ayade As Cross River Governor

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has refused to sack Prof Ben Ayade and Prof Ivara Esu as Governor and Deputy Governor of Cross River State respectively.

Naija News recalls that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had dragged Ayade and his deputy to court over their defection to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2020.

The opposition PDP had asked the court to declare the seat of the governor vacant for dumping the party for the ruling APC.

Delivering a judgement on Thursday, Justice Taiwo Taiwo dismissed the suit brought before it by the PDP for being inconsistent with the Constitution and extant laws of the country.

The presiding judge also ruled that Ayade and his deputy were not allowed to be sacked from office based on the principle of Stare decisis.

Justice Taiwo cited the recent judgement declared by the Court of Appeal in Enugu State which refused to sack David Umahi as Ebonyi state governor.

The judge said the appeal court had ruled that defection did not constitute any known offence and his merely the constitutional rights of freedom of association as enshrined under Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution is guaranteed.

More to come…