Reps Defection, A Violation of Court Order – PDP

The Peoples Democratic Party on Wednesday protested the defection of some of its members in the House of Representatives to the All Progressives Congress, saying the development violated an order issued by an Abuja Federal High Court, which directed the lawmakers and the party to maintain status quo.

PDP lawyer, Chief Joe Gadzama (SAN), drew attention to the violation of the order at the continuation of hearing in a suit by Senator Bello Hayatu and 50 others, including the lawmakers who defected to the APC, to stop their seats from being declared vacant.

PDP National Chairman, the Senate President, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, PDP, and the Independent National Electoral Commissioners are the 1st to 5th defendants in the suit.

The presiding judge, Justice Ahmed Mohammed, had on December 17, 2013, ordered all the parties involved in the suit to maintain status quo, pending the determination of the matter.

However, when the matter came up on Wednesday, PDP counsel, Gadzama, informed the court that the order directing all the parties in the suit to maintain status quo had been violated by the defection of the lawmakers.