Federal High Court sitting in Abuja yesterday stopped the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, the Senate President David Mark, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, from declaring their seats vacant when they eventually defect to another political party.The order, which was issued by Justice A. R. Mohammed, was sequel to a motion filed by 79 lawmakers in the National Assembly, including the 22 senators.The order reads in part: “The second and third defendants should be asked to maintain status quo on any proposed deliberation to declare the seats of the affected and interested plaintiffs vacant, at least, pending the hearing and determination of the plaintiffs’ motion for interlocutory injunction.“It is directed that the parties and in particular the second and third defendants shall maintain status quo on any proposed deliberation to declare the seats of the affected/interested plaintiffs in this suit vacant pending the hearing and determination of the plaintiffs’motion for interlocutory injunction already served on them.”The judge consequently fixed January 22 for hearing on the matter.The 22 senators named as plaintiffs in the case are Bukola Saraki (Kwara Central), Bello Gwarzo (Kano North), Abdullahi Adamu (Nasarawa West), Magnus Abe (River South- East), Wilson Ake (Rivers West), Shaba Lafiagi (Kwara North), Danjuma Goje (Gombe Central), Aisha Alhassan (Taraba North), Ali Ndume (Borno South), Ahmed Zannah (Borno Central) and Simeon Ajibola (Kwara South).Others are Bindowo Jubrilla (Adamawa North), Abdulaziz Usman (Jigawa North-East), Danladi Sankara (Jigawa North-West), Abdulmumuni Hassan (Jigawa South-West), Hassan Barata (Adamawa South), Umaru Dahiru (Sokoto South), Ahmad Maccido (Sokoto North), Ibrahim Gobir (Sokoto East), Garba Mohammed (Kano Central), Isa Galaudu (Kebbi North) and Ahmed Alkali (Gombe
North).National Mirror gathered that the move is preparatory to the senators’ eventual defection to the All Progressives Congress, APC.The senators are yet to formally write the Senate President as required by the Senate Standing Rules on their decision to decamp from the PDP to another party.But some of the senators listed as plaintiffs in the matter had earlier dissociated themselves from the defection plan.The senators explained that their names were merely written among aggrieved senators because governors of their states were at the forefront of the defection plan.
by GEORGE OJIA
