News Update
THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has asked the Federal High Court in Abuja to remove four lawmakers from Osun State for defecting to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The suit, filed on August 20 by the party’s counsel, Rapheal Oyewole, seeks to unseat two senators and two members of the House of Representatives who were elected on the PDP platform but recently switched allegiance to the APC.
Those named in the suits are Senator Francis Fadahunsi (Osun East), Senator Olubiyi Oluwole Fadeyi (Osun Central), Omirin Olusanya (Atakumosa East/West and Ilesa East/West Federal Constituency), and Taofeek Ajilesoro (Ife Central/East/North and South Federal Constituency).
In the four separate originating summons marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1725/2025, FHC/ABJ/CS/1728/2025, FHC/ABJ/CS/1727/2025 and FHC/ABJ/CS/1726/2025, the PDP listed the lawmakers as first defendants.
The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, were joined as second defendants, while the National Assembly, its Clerk and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were joined as third to fifth defendants.
The PDP is relying on Section 68(1)(g) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which states that lawmakers who defect from the parties that sponsored their elections, without evidence of division or merger in such parties, automatically forfeit their seats.
The party is asking the court to declare the seats of the four lawmakers vacant, compel the Senate President and House Speaker to announce the vacancies, and direct INEC to conduct bye-elections.
It also prayed for an order stopping the Clerk of the National Assembly from paying further entitlements to the lawmakers, and to compel them to refund all salaries and allowances received since their defection.
The PDP argued that allowing the lawmakers to retain their seats despite their defection amounts to a violation of the constitution.
The cases have yet to be assigned to a judge.
This development comes weeks after the Osun PDP chapter dragged another lawmaker, Oluwole Oke of Obokun/Oriade Federal Constituency, to court over a similar defection to the APC.