A Federal High Court in Abuja fixed a new date for the delivery of judgment on the defection suit brought against Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State. The new date is now April 7.
Justice Taiwo Oladipupo Taiwo put the judgment on hold in order to consider the implications of a Court of Appeal’s fresh judgment on the defection.
Recall that an Appeal, Court in Enugu had held that defection did not constitute any known offence but constitutional rights of freedom of association as enshrined under Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution.
Ben Ayade and his deputy had defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC). This angered the PDP, and the party approached the court to ask it to declare their seats vacant.
Mike Ozekhome, SAN, counsel to the governor, had in a letter drawn the attention of the court to the Court of Appeal judgment and prayed the court to bow and respect the decision of the Higher Court of Appeal.