Defection: Court Sacks Ex-Spesker Dogara From House Of Reps

A Federal High Court in Abuja has sacked Yakubu Dogara, former speaker of the House of Representatives, from the National Assembly.

Dogara who represents Bogoro/Dass Federal constituency of Bauchi State, was the Speaker of the House of Representatives between 2015 and 2019..

Dogara had defected to the PDP in 2020, citing a breakdown of governance under Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, where he hails from.

In a letter of resignation addressed to the Bogoro ‘C’ Ward Chairman of the PDP dated July 24, 2020, Dogara said though he helped install Mohammed as governor in 2019, he could ask questions about the state of government without being accused of disloyalty.

The judge, D.U. Okorowo, on Friday, ruled that Mr Dogara’s defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) was wrong and meant he should vacate the legislative seat.

Mr Dogara defected to the APC after winning his re-election under the PDP in 2019

He had worked against the reelection of the then Governor Mohammed Abubakar whom Bala Mohammed defeated in 2019.

The PDP, on whose platform, Dogara won his re-election to the House of Representatives in 2019, had filed a suit asking the court to declare his seat vacant on the grounds of his defection.

The plaintiffs, through their counsel, Jubrin Jubrin, said by virtue of section 68(1)(g) of the Constitution, Dogara, by defecting from the party that sponsored him to the 9th National Assembly before the expiration of his tenure, ought to vacate the seat as he was no longer qualified to partake in the activities of the lower house.

Delivering judgment on Friday, Justice Donatus Okorowo, declared that having defected from PDP to APC, Dogara was no longer qualified to occupy the seat by virtue of Section 68(1)(g) of the constitution.

Justice Okorowo aligned with the argument of the PDP that by defecting from the party that sponsored him to the ninth National Assembly before the expiration of his tenure, Dogara ought to vacate the seat as he was no longer qualified to partake in the activities of the lower house.

The judge, who held that the action of the lawmaker is prohibited by law, agreed that the aim of Section 68(1)(g) was to check political prostitution among the legislators.

“The judgment is therefore given in favour of the plaintiffs I hereby granted the reliefs sought by the plaintiffs,” he declared.