Politics
PDP Tells High Court To Declare Dogara’s Seat Vacant
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is asking the Federal High Court in Abuja to declare the seat of the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara vacant.
The party is calling for the sack of the former Speaker for defecting to the All Progressives Congress (APC) while still bearing the mandate of the party.
At the resumed hearing of the suit on Monday, the lawyer to the plaintiffs, Mr Jibril Jibril urged the court to abridge the time for the hearing of the suit owing to the fact that Mr. Dogara is already enjoying legislative privileges as a member of the House of Representatives.
Justice Okon Abang, after listening to the lawyers to the defendants who did not oppose the application to abridge time fixed February 14, 2021, for hearing.
Mr. Dogara, who is representing Dass, Tafawa Balewa, and Bogoro Federal Constituency of Bauchi State, defected from the APC to the PDP before the last general election and won re-election to the house on the platform of the PDP.A file photo of Mr. Yakubu Dogara
The PDP and its Bauchi state chairman Hamza Koshe Akuyam, listed as plaintiffs in the suit, are contending, among others, that by virtue of section 68(1)(g) of the constitution, Mr. Dogara ought to vacate the seat for defecting from the party that sponsored him to the ninth national assembly before the expiration of his tenure.
The plaintiffs claim that the former speaker was no longer qualified to partake in the activities of the House of Representatives while still using his former party’s ticket.
Listed as defendants in the suit are Mr. Yakubu Dogara, the House of Representatives Speaker, the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and the APC.
Mr. Akuyam stated, in a supporting affidavit stated that there was no crisis or division in the first plaintiff, being the political platform by which the election of the first defendant (Dogara) as a serving member of the national assembly was sponsored and from which he has defected to the fifth defendant (APC) before the expiration of the period for which he was elected.
He also stated that there were no mergers involving the PDP, from which Dogara defected.
Mr Akuyam averred that having defected from the PDP before the expiration of his tenure, Dogara “has lost his seat/office as a member of the house of representatives and is no longer entitled to participate in the legislative proceedings and other businesses of the national assembly and/or entitled to salaries and allowances as a member of the national assembly”.
He added that given the facts and circumstances of the case, the speaker of the house of representatives “is under legal obligation” to declare Dogara’s seat vacant and allow INEC to conduct an election for his replacement.
The plaintiffs are praying the court to, among others, declare that Dogara has ceased to be a member of the national assembly from the date he defected to the APC.
They prayed the court to direct Dogara to vacate his seat in the national assembly and to refund all the salaries, allowances, and emoluments he collected from the date of his defection from the PDP.
They also prayed the court to direct the house of representatives speaker to give effect to section 68(1) of the constitution to forthwith declare Dogara’s seat vacant and for INEC to conduct a by-election for his replacement.
The court had initially rescheduled its hearing from December 17 2020 to March 5, 2021.
President Bola Tinubu has re-designated the positions of two recently appointed officials in the State House media and communications team to enhance efficiency within the government’s communication machinery.
The restructuring is as follows:
1. Mr. Sunday Dare – hitherto Special Adviser on Public Communication and National Orientation is now Special Adviser, Media and Public Communications.
2. Mr. Daniel Bwala – announced last week as Special Adviser, Media and Public Communication, is now special adviser Policy Communication.
These appointments, along with the existing role of Special Adviser, Information and Strategy , underscore that there is no single individual spokesperson for the Presidency.
Instead, all the three Special Advisers will collectively serve as spokespersons for the government.
This approach aims to ensure effective and consistent communication of government policies, decisions, and engagements.
Signed: Bayo Onanuga
Special Adviser to the President, (Information and Strategy)
More accolades for the Minister of State for Defence H.E Dr Muhammed Bello Matawalle, MoN, for his commitment and dedication to his duties and the
latest is the remarks of goodwill of the minister made by the newly elected National Speaker of the leading Youth’s body in Nigeria, the Youth Assembly of Nigeria (YAN), Comrade Famuyibo Oluwasegun, during his acceptance speech at the national election held at Agura Hotels, Abuja weekend.
Comrade Oluwasegun, who hails from Ekiti State, described the Minister as a Youths role model who has demonstrated rare courage in fighting bandits and terrorists to their standstill in North West and other parts of the country and above all his loyalty to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR.
The National Youth Speaker noted further that “After God Almighty who made his emergence possible, the Minister of State Defence and former Governor of Zamfara state, Dr. Bello Matawalle was a prominent factor to his new attained height.
“My mentor, His Excellency Dr. Matawalle extended an unalloyed hand of leadership, direction and support to me which were instrumental to making my victory a reality”, Famuyibo stated.
The YAN Speaker-elect thanked the YAN Board of Trustees, Convention Planning Committee and the entire YAN delegates for finding him worthy to lead the 4th Assembly of Nigerian Youths.
Also lending his voice, the Acting BoT Chairman of YAN, Hon. Gt. C Samuel advised the newly elected leaders of YAN to be good Ambassadors of Nigerian Youths and Nigeria at all times. He encouraged them to bring out the best of their thinking caps while planning for a befitting inauguration of the 4th Assembly as elected.
Other elected new national leadership of the 4th Assembly of Youth Assembly of Nigeria, included Umar Bala Babayaro of Kaduna state emerged the Deputy National Speaker, Sadiq Abubakar of Borno state as Majority Leader, Ezeanikwe Charles as Deputy Majority Leader, Raymond Sylvanus of Cross Rivers state as National Chief Whip, Jennifer Ornguga of Benue state as National Minority Leader and Jude Chinonso as Diaspora Ambassador.
The Federal Executive Council chaired by President Bola Tinubu has scrapped two ministries, Techeconomy can report.
The ministries, according to a tweet by President Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, are Niger Delta Ministry and the Ministry of Sports Development.
“There will now be a ministry of regional development to oversee all the regional development commissions, such as Niger Delta Development Commission, North West Development Commission, South West Development Commission, and North East Development Commission.
“The National Sports Commission will take over the role of the Ministry of Sports”, Onanuga tweeted.
“The FEC also approved the merger of the Ministry of Tourism with the Ministry of Culture and Creative Economy.
“The decisions were taken today at the meeting of Federal Executive Council in Abuja.
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