Governor of Cross River, Ben Ayade would on Friday, would know his fate in the suit filed against him by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) before a Federal High Court in Abuja.
The PDP, through its counsel Emmanuel Ukala (SAN), had filed the suit before Justice Taiwo Taiwo to seek for an order sacking the governor and his deputy over their defection from the party to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The court had on Monday, sacked 20 lawmakers of the state’s House of Assembly, including the speaker of the assembly, Eteng Williams.
Others were Micheal Etaba, Legor Idagbor, Joseph Bassey, Odey Agbe and Okon Ephraim. Others are Regina Anyogo, Matthew Glory, Ekpo Bassey, Ogbor Udop, Ekpe Okon, Hillary Bisong, Francis Asuquo, Elvert Ayambem, Davis Etta, Sunday Achunekan, Cynthia Nkasi, Edward Ajang, Chris Ogar and Maria Akwaji.
The trial judge, in the judgment, dismissed the defence argument that the PDP (plaintiff) had no legal rights to institute the case and other preliminary objections raised by the defendants.
Justice Taiwo said the lawmakers had intended to mislead the court by the argument that the rancour in the PDP had prompted their defection to APC.
“A day must surely come when elected officials, must either resign from their office or ask the people who voted for them before defecting to other political parties, instead of defecting to another party without recourse to the law and the citizens.”
