Federal High Court rule out Ex-Speaker Yakubu Dogara’s seat vacant

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From Mohammed Nasir Shuaibu BAUCHI 

A Federal High Court in Abuja has ruled out and sacked Yakubu Dogara the former speaker from the House of Representatives and announced his seat vacant. 

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Delivering the judgment, Justice Donatus Okorowo of the federal High Court in Abuja, declared and ruled out that Mr Dogara’s having defected from the People Democratic Party PDP to the All Progressive Congress APC was wrong and meant he should vacate the legislative seat he occupying. 

According to the Judge, Dogara was no longer qualified to occupy the seat by virtue of Section 68(1)(g) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Justice Okorowo aligned with the argument of the PDP that by defecting from the party that sponsored him before the expiration of his tenure, Dogara ought to vacate the seat as he was no longer qualified to partake in the activities of the House.

“The judgement is, therefore, given in favour of the plaintiffs. I hereby grant the reliefs sought by the plaintiffs”, he declared.

The ex speaker who is representing Bogoro/Dass/Tafawa-Balewa  Constituency of Bauchi State was re-elected to the position in 2019 after which he defected to APC one year later.

According some quarters his frosty relationship with his State Governor, Bala Mohammed said is one of the main reasons for dumping the PDP and his subsequent decamped to the APC in the state on July 24, 2020.

Similarly, Dogara records shows that he had earlier in 2018 dumped the ruling party for the main opposition platform in the State after having confrontation for about two years with then the former Governor of Bauchi State M.A Abubakar.

Dogara, in a letter of resignation which he addressed to the Bogoro “C” Ward Chairman of the PDP dated July 24, 2020, he cited a breakdown of governance in his state Bauchi under the leadership of Governor Bala Mohammed wjombhe said he helped installed as a governor in 2019.

According to him, said ” He won his re-election as a lawmaker on the PDP platform but did not contest the Speaker’s position as the APC won the majority seat in the Parliament. 

Our correspondent also reports that the lingering tussel has being in the Federal High Court in Abuja since the decamped of the former Speaker from the ruling party in the State to the opposition party.

Reacting to the judgement, counsel to the former Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, J.J. Usman, SAN stated that he has been instructed by his client to appeal the judgement with immediate effect.

According to the Senior Advocate, “The judgement has just been delivered and we have briefed our client right from the and he has expressed dissatisfaction against the judgement and has instructed that we file an appeal immediately which we shall do on Monday”

He said “The decision of the Court that there is evidence of defection to APC is not substantiated by any shred of evidence in the Court’s record. Therefore, we’re proceeding to the Court of Appeal immediately”,.

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