An Abuja Federal High Court on Monday ordered fresh service of court processes on five former governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who decamped to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
PDP had filed a case seeking to sack the governors — Murtala Nyako (Adamawa State), Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers State), Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto State), Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano State) and Abdulfatai Ahmed (Kwara State) — for jettisoning the party under which they were elected.
In the case, in which the governors and the the Independent National Electoral Commission are the defendants, PDP demanded for the sack of the governors on the ground that, following their defection, they have forfeited their offices, which ordinarily remain with the PDP.
It also demanded that after their sack, the court should order that the deputy governors or speakers of the states’ Houses of Assembly of the affected states, or any officer next in rank who is still its member is allowed to assume the office of governor.
After lawyer of the plaintiff, Alex Iziyon (SAN) complained that despite being served, the defendants absented themselves from court and have also failed to file any response to the processes, Justice Gabriel Kolawole gave the order that the defendants should be re-served.
He ordered that this time, the governors should be served through the national office of the APC in Abuja, while also granting the plaintiff permission to publish the court processes in two specified newspapers.
He adjourned to 6th February 2013 for hearing on the plaintiff’s originating summons.
