Politics
Court sacks 17 Ebonyi State lawmakers over defection to APC
Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday ordered the Speaker of the Ebonyi House of Assembly and other lawmakers who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to immediately stop holding themselves out as members of the assembly.
Justice Ekwo, in a separate judgement, had also sacked Ebonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi and his deputy, Eric Igwe, for defecting from the PDP.
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The Judge held that the votes that brought them to office belonged to the PDP and that the legislators cannot hold on to the votes having chosen to defect from the party that nominated them.
Justice Ekwo also held that the votes cast for PDP in the 2019 election are not transferrable to the APC.
He restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognizing or according any recognition to them as elected members of the House of Assembly.
Justice Ekwo further ordered that all monies collected from the period of their defection to the judgment date must be recovered from them.
