Tuesday, the Federal High Court in Abuja denied the All Progressives Congress’ request to remove Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, the governor of Sokoto State, from his position after he defected to the People’s Democratic Party.
According to Justice Inyang Edem Ekwo, the Court of Appeal had rejected a similar request on the subject in several judgments.
The Justice stated that the appellate court’s decision that governors cannot lose their seats for defection remains binding on the lower courts because the Supreme Court has not overturned that decision.
In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/449/2022, the Independent National Electoral Commission, the Peoples Democratic Party, and Alhaji Aminu Waziri Tambuwal are listed as the first through third defendants, respectively.
The judge said that lawyers should have given their clients the right advice, and he also said that the High Court’s decision would be pointless.
Consequently, he excused the suit for absence of legitimacy.
APC had requested that the court announce the governorship seat of Sokoto State empty on the record of abandonment by Tambuwal to another party.
The party guaranteed that Tambuwal who won the Sokoto governorship political decision in 2019 under the APC should clear his seat assuming he chose to attend another party.