- PDP files four lawsuits to remove Osun lawmakers who defected to APC.
- Party seeks court order to declare seats vacant and mandate by-elections.
- PDP demands suspension of lawmakers’ salaries and refund of all benefits since defection.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has approached the Federal High Court in Abuja, requesting the removal of four lawmakers from Osun State currently serving in the National Assembly. The party alleges that the legislators defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in violation of constitutional provisions.
The lawmakers, according to EKO HOT BLOG include two senators Senator Francis Adenigba Fadahunsi (Osun East) and Senator Olubiyi Oluwole Fadeyi (Osun Central)—as well as two members of the House of Representatives, Omirin Emmanuel Olusanya (Atakumosa East/West and Ilesa East/West) and Taofeek Abimbola Ajilesoro (Ife Central/East/North and South).
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The PDP filed four separate lawsuits on Wednesday through its lead lawyer, Raphael Oyewole, naming the legislators as the first defendants. In the cases against the senators, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, is the second defendant, while the Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, is the second defendant in the cases involving the House members. Other defendants include the National Assembly, its Clerk, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The party raised six legal questions, focusing on whether, according to Section 68(1)(g) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), lawmakers who defect from the party under which they were elected—without a party split, merger, or faction should lose their seats before their term ends.
PDP’s position is that the lawmakers’ continued occupancy of their seats after defection violates the Constitution and automatically vacates their seats. The party is urging the court to compel the Senate President and the Speaker of the House to declare the seats vacant immediately.
The PDP also wants an order directing Akpabio, Abbas, and INEC to carry out their constitutional duties by officially declaring the vacancies and initiating by-elections for the affected seats.
Additionally, the party is calling for the Clerk of the National Assembly to suspend all salaries, allowances, and benefits paid to the four lawmakers. They further demand that the lawmakers refund all earnings received from the time they left the PDP until the date of judgment, arguing that their continued payment is unlawful.
Paraphrasing the party’s legal counsel, “A senator or representative who leaves the political party on whose platform they were elected, without legitimate constitutional reasons, forfeits the right to their seat. The law is clear on this matter, and it must be enforced to uphold democratic principles.”
