The Federal High Court in Abuja has sacked the senator representing Akwa Ibom North East district, Albert Akpan, over his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to Young Progressives Party (YPP).
This comes barely seven months after defecting from the PDP to the YPP. Akpan had defected from the PDP in July 2022 citing unresolved grievances from the party’s governorship primary election in Akwa Ibom.
Although Mr Akpan was recently convicted and jailed for corruption, his sacking by the court has nothing to do with that, Tribune Online gathered.
Delivering the judgement, Justice Fadima Murtala Aminu, declared Senator Akpan’s seat vacant and ordered Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a bye-election to fill it within 14 days, counting from 20 January when the judgement was delivered.
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“Therefore, this honourable court holds that the 1st defendant (Mr Akpan) who resigned from the plaintiff (PDP) but failed in his duty before this honourable court to prove the alleged serious rancour and steep differences in the ranks of the plaintiff (PDP) which made him to resign or defect to Young Progressives Party (YPP), the 1st defendant is in violation of section 68(1)(g) of the 1999 Constitution by refusing to vacate his seat as a senator in the senate won under the sponsorship of the plaintiff,” the judge said.
Tribune Online further gathered the sacked lawmaker was ordered to pay a sum of N5 million in costs to PDP which sued him over his defection to the YPP.
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