Abuja, Nigeria — A Federal High Court in Abuja has delivered a scathing judgment, unseating Mr. Abubakar Gummi, the incumbent Member representing the Gummi/Bukkuyum Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, following his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
In a ruling that underscores the judicial posture against the fluid loyalties of political office holders, Justice Obiora Egwuatu granted all the reliefs sought by the plaintiffs, the PDP and its state Chairman, Mr. Jamilu Jibomagayaki.
The judgment immediately strips Mr. Gummi of his mandate, barring the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Tajudeen Abbas, from continuing to recognise Gummi as the legitimate representative of the Gummi/Bukkuyum Federal Constituency. The court further condemned the proclivity of some political figures to treat defection as a matter of standard practice.
Furthermore, Justice Egwuatu issued a clear directive to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), mandating the commission to conduct a fresh election to fill the resultant vacancy within 30 days of the judgment’s date.
While the ruling was initially delivered on Thursday, the certified true copy of the judgment was officially sighted by Africa Update on Friday, marking the formal commencement of the legal consequences for the parliamentarian.
In his defence, Mr. Gummi, through his counsel, had lodged a preliminary objection and a counter-affidavit, asserting that his decision to decamp was necessitated by an irreconcilable internal and external crisis plaguing the PDP.
The former lawmaker contended that the unresolved disputes, which spanned both the national level and his local constituency, had created an environment wherein he could no longer effectively perform his duties or ensure his constituents benefited from the democratic dividends mandated by his office. This inability to properly represent his people, he argued, was the sole justification for his movement to the APC.
The suit, lodged under the reference FHC/ABJ/CS/1803/2024, sought judicial intervention to declare the seat vacant, a prayer which Justice Egwuatu ultimately upheld, reinforcing the constitutional requirements for holding office under a party’s mandate.
