Ayade wins, as court dismisses defection application

Justice Taiwo Taiwo of the Federal High Court Thursday dismissed the application filed by the People Democratic Party (PDP) against Governor Ben Ayade who recently defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

In a two hour judgment, the court declared that legislators not the court can sack a sitting governor

It would be recalled that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had instituted a suit before the Federal High Court, Abuja, praying the court to, among others, sack Ayade and his deputy, Ivara Esu, following their defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

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Listed as defendants in the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/975/2021 are the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the APC, Ayade and Esu.

Ayade and Esu were elected on the platform of the PDP, but defected to the APC on May 20, 2021.

In the suit filed for it by a team of lawyers led by Emmanuel Ukala, SAN, the PDP argued that the mandate given by the electorate in Cross River State was to the PDP and Ayade, as the candidate of the party at the election, cannot transfer the mandate to the APC or any other political party.