[JUST IN] Court Postpones Judgement On Ayade’s Defection

• Ayade was elected on the platform of the PDP in 2015 and 2019, but defected to the APC on May 20, 2021, along with his deputy

• The PDP had taken Ayade to court seeking an order directing him and his deputy, Ivara Esu, to vacate office over their defection to the APC

EKO HOT BLOG reports that a Federal High Court in Abuja has rescheduled judgement for April 6 in the suit seeking to sack the Cross River Governor, Ben Ayade and his Deputy, Ivara Esu over their defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Justice Taiwo Taiwo had earlier planned the judgment for March 25, 2022.

Read also: Court Ruling: INEC Suspends Action On Umahi’s Defection

But, according to The Nation, it was indicated on the cause list this morning that the judgement would now be rendered on April 6.

The suit marked: FHC/ABI/CS/975/2021 was filed by the PDP, with INEC, Ayade, Esu and APC as defendants.

The PDP had taken Ayade to court seeking an order directing him and his deputy, Ivara Esu, to vacate office over their defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Ayade was elected on the platform of the PDP in 2015 and 2019, but defected to the APC on May 20, 2021, along with his deputy.

In the suit, the PDP is praying 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”.

The party is also seeking an order directing the first defendant (INEC) “to immediately receive from the plaintiff (PDP), the name of its candidates to replace the 3rd and 4th defendants (Ayade and Esu) for the purpose of utilising the lawful votes cast in favour of the plaintiff or in the alternative directing the 1st defendant to hold a gubernatorial election for Cross River State in accordance with Section 177 © of the Constitution (excluding the 3rd and 4th defendants who are disqualified from participating in the election by virtue of Section 192 (1) (b) of the Constitution) arising from abandonment of the majority lawful votes and the offices occasioned by the action of the 3rd and 4th defendants by reason of their becoming members of the 2nd defendant who did not win majority of the lawful votes cast at the election”.

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