PDP asks court to sack defecting senator

The Peoples’ Dem­ocratic Party (PDP) on Thurs­day prayed Justice John Tsoho of the Federal High Court in Abuja to sack the Senator rep­resenting Akwa Ibom South Senatorial Dis­trict in the National As­sembly, Chief Nelson Asuquo Effiong over his defection to the All Progressive Congress.

The party alongside 15 other chieftains of the party in the state through their coun­sel, G.A Umoh had in an Originating Sum­mons marked FHC/ABJ/05/61/2017 asked the court to declare that Effiong has lost his membership with effect from January 19, 2017 pursuant to Section 68(1)(g) of the consti­tution having now be­come a member of APC before the expiration of the period for which he was elected into the Senate on the platform of PDP.

Cited as the second defendant is the Senate President, Senator Bu­kola Saraki.

The plaintiffs also want the court to declare that the seat of Akwa Ibom South Senatorial District in the National Assembly is vacant pur­suant to Section 68(1)(g) of the 1999 Constitution same having been vacat­ed by the operation of law by the 1st defendant by reason of his becom­ing member of the APC before the expiration of the period for which he was elected into the Senate on the platform of PDP.

However, the plaintiffs pray the court for an order directing the Sen­ate President to declare the seat of Akwa Ibom South Senatorial District in the National Assem­bly vacant pursuant to Section 68(1)(g) of the 1999 Constitution same having been vacated by the operation of law by the 1st defendant by reason of his becoming member of APC before the expiration of the pe­riod for which he was elected into the Senate on the platform of PDP.

The plaintiffs also want the court to make an interlocutory injunc­tion restraining the first defendant from parad­ing himself as the Sen­ator representing Akwa Ibom South Senatorial District in the National Assembly.

Source – The Authoity