The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has asked the Federal High Court in Abuja to sack four federal lawmakers from Osun State for defecting to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
In four separate suits filed on Wednesday, the party insisted that the lawmakers’ decision to dump the platform on which they were elected amounted to a violation of the 1999 Constitution.
The affected lawmakers 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).
The cases, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1725/2025, FHC/ABJ/CS/1726/2025, FHC/ABJ/CS/1727/2025 and FHC/ABJ/CS/1728/2025, were filed by PDP’s lawyer, Rapheal Oyewole.
In the suits, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, were listed as second defendants.
The National Assembly, its clerk, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were joined as third to fifth defendants.
The PDP argued that by virtue of Section 68(1)(g) of the constitution, legislators who abandon the party that sponsored their elections automatically lose their seats unless there is evidence of division or merger in that party.
The party urged the court to: declare the seats of the four lawmakers vacant; order the Senate President and the Speaker to withdraw their recognition; mandate INEC to conduct fresh elections in the affected constituencies; direct the clerk of the National Assembly to stop paying salaries and entitlements to the lawmakers; and compel them to refund all allowances collected since their defection.
According to the PDP, allowing the lawmakers to retain their seats despite their defection was a breach of the constitution and undermines Nigeria’s democracy.
The suits are yet to be assigned to a judge.
This development comes weeks after the Osun PDP dragged another federal lawmaker, Oluwole Oke (Obokun/Oriade Constituency), before Justice Emeka Nwite for a similar defection to the APC.
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