Tambuwal’s defection: Court transfers suit to Abuja

The suit filed by two legal practitioners before the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, over the defection of Speaker of House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, from Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to All Progressives Congress (APC), has been transferred to the Abuja division of the court.

The two lawyers Anthony Nwajiugo and Okechukwu Ebirim, are praying the court for an order that Tambuwal should be restrained from parading himself as speaker of House of Representatives.

The plaintiffs argued that having defected from the party on whose platform he was elected into the House, Tambuwal, “cannot remain and has, by his action, lost the competence to remain the speaker.”

They specifically argued that the House of Representatives as presently constituted under Tambuwal’s leadership could not embark on any legislative business, including the adjournment of plenary sessions or the impeachment of President Goodluck Jonathan.

Tambuwal had hinged his defection on the crisis within the PDP in his home state of Sokoto.

In the wake of the defection, it was also widely reported that about 215 members of the House of Representatives and 63 senators had signed to commence impeachment proceedings against Jonathan.

When the suit came up yesterday, the trial judge, Justice Ibrahim Buba directed the applicants to address him on why the matter was filed in Lagos and not Abuja, being the place of business of the sole defendant in the suit, the House of Representatives.

Ebirim, who addressed the court, said the matter was a constitutional matter that could as well be filed in the Lagos division of the court, adding that the House of Representatives also conducted part of its business in Lagos at its liaison office, and that the court was a proper venue for the matter to be filed.

But in a brief ruling, Justice Buba transferred the matter to the Abuja division of the court, and further directed the applicants to approach the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Ibrahim Auta, for further directive on when the matter would come up in Abuja.