NewStats: 3,262,372 , 8,176,946 topics. Date: Monday, 02 June 2025 at 03:08 AM l72w

A federal high court in Uyo on Wednesday declared vacant the seat of a lawmaker in Akwa Ibom State who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The affected lawmaker, Idongesit Ituen, represented Itu State Constituency in the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly.

The suit was filed by Mr Ituen in September this year to pre-empt the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Onofiok Luke, from declaring his seat vacant.

Apart from the speaker, other defendants in the suit were the PDP, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and the commissioner of police, Akwa Ibom state.

Mr Luke had filed a counterclaim, seeking for “a declaration that having defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress before the expiration of the tenure of four years for which he was elected to serve, Hon. Idongesit Ntuen has lost his seat in the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly.

“An order of court directing Hon Idongesit Ituen to vacate the Itu State Constituency seat in the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly with immediate effect.

“An order of court restraining the Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly or any other person acting on his behalf (including the staff of the House of Assembly) from further recognising Hon. Idongesit Ituen as a member of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly.

https://www.timesng.com/news/headlines/295615-court-sacks-lawmaker-who-defected-from-pdp-to-apc.html

See comedy film,oya make d court start from d senate president and d speaker of the house.

now wailers wldnt say anything since it favour PDP, bt wait for d second half of ths game

APC how market?

ManirBK:
now wailers wldnt say anything since it favour PDP, bt wait for d second half of ths game

As at this moment, APC is factionalized, there's only one PDP now.
The court judgement is right, a party where each state has two state party chairman is that one even a party?

dukie25:

As at this moment, APC is factionalized, there's only one PDP now.

Saraki is next to be axed from red chamber!

Trouble dey sleep iyanga go wake am! Who send am go do preemptive strike? It is the Ituen that initiated the suit himself to preempt the Speaker now it has gone against him and bitten him in the arse! Why was he running when nothing was chasing him?

Double Wahala for dead body

ManirBK:
Hundreds have cross carpeted. So this ruling must go round all of them

ManirBK:
now wailers wldnt say anything since it favour PDP, bt wait for d second half of ths game

mushystuff:
Trouble dey sleep iyanga go wake am! Who send am to go do preemptive strike? It is the Ituen that initiated the suit himself to preempt the Speaker now it has gone against him and bitten him in the arse! Why was he running when nothing was chasing him?

See me see trouble o.

War start!

E don get sit for house o (idongesit)

#Dakada

Akpabio will run to Buhari and his cabals at the courts to overturn the ruling.

ManirBK:


https://www.timesng.com/news/headlines/295615-court-sacks-lawmaker-who-defected-from-pdp-to-apc.html

ghen ghen

..... Em go Appeal the Judgment and before dem go hear the case ,............ Election time don reach

Saraki should honourably resign from senate president

Good Ridance ... e remain Buhari ndaji

One day bushmeat go catch the hunter

Just be there and be having sleepless nights inugo!

ManirBK:
Saraki is next to be axed from red chamber!

Where re the good intended and right minded Kwara central people to file same against Senate president Bukola Saraki too

Now there's a precedence

There's a difference between Premier League and Championship. Sweet dreams sha.

OmoManU:
Where re the good intended and right minded Kwara central people to file same against Senate president Bukola Saraki too

ok

ok ..

ManirBK:
now wailers wldnt say anything since it favour PDP, bt wait for d second half of ths game

APC just did this thing through that judge so that they can have the locus standi to pursue those that defected from APC to PDP...Or are you forgetting that this is an APC government which has already influenced most of our Institutions

APC is a useless party

Wow! This is bad for PDP o, except the court could prove that PDP isnt/wasn't factionalized as @ the time of defection

wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11

2019: INEC deg special card reader, result sheets for APC, Secondus tells ECOWAS

SOURCE: https://nextedition.com.ng/2018/11/14/2019-inec-deg-special-card-reader-result-sheets-for-apc-secondus-tells-ecowas/

National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Uche Secondus says the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has perfected rigging arrangements with preloaded cards and special election result sheets all doctored to favour the All Progressives Congress, APC.


Secondus warned the INEC Chairman Prof Mahmood Yakubu that history would not judge him kindly if he failed to conduct free and fair election in 2019.


The PDP National Chairman spoke while hosting the Election team of the Economic Community of West Africa states, ECOWAS, led by Mohammad Conteh at the party's National Campaign headquarters in Maitama, Abuja.

This might look good for PDP on the surface, however those PDP willing to decamp will to APC will wait in ambush for 2019 election. When they will surprise Atiku.

Stocking:
Saraki should honourably resign from senate president

Sharaap, are we talking about Saraki here? Ewe.

Justice310:
Sharaap, are we talking about Saraki here? Ewe.

Why are you hitting your head on the wall?

OmoManU:
Where re the good intended and right minded Kwara central people to file same against Senate president Bukola Saraki too

Now there's a precedence

It will not be easy to win such a case against someone that moved from APC to PDP.

The Nigerian constitution allow elected office holders to deflect if their current party is factionalized, this case can be made for APC at the moment as such APC office holders can legally find another party.

But, it will be tough to prove that PDP is factionalized at the moment I’m court and without reading the Judge’s order I am almost certain that, the reason the Judge made that seat vacant is because when the lawmaker left PDP it was not factionalized and as a result he cannot leave.

PDp isn't factionalized so he had no reason to decamp. Apc on the other hand has serious internal crises... any defection from Apc is totally legal.

LWKM:


APC just did this thing through that judge so that they can have the locus standi to pursue those that defected from APC to PDP...Or are you forgetting that this is an APC government which has already influenced most of our Institutions

APC did nothing. The Ituen guy ran faster than his shadow and approached the court first to preempt the Speaker. The Speaker, not expected to go to sleep, filed a counter claim against him. What was chasing him? Haven't others been decamping? Why didn't Akpabio himself go to court to restrain Saraki from declaring his seat vacant?

They are all politicians and know the games they are playing but when one 'smart Alec' decided to play with fire and got his fingers burnt, who do am? Let APC go to court against any one let's see.