Defection: PDP Accuses Speaker Gbajabiamila Of ‘Refusing To Accept’ Court Process On Ex-Speaker Dogara

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on Thursday, told a Federal High Court in Abuja that the Speaker of the House of Representative, Femi Gbajabiamila, does not want to collect hearing notice served on him in the case against former Speaker Yakubu Dogara.

The PDP and one of its chieftains in Bauchi State, Hamza Koshe Akuyam, had sued Dogara on the allegation that he was supposed to vacate the National Assembly, having decamped from the party through which he was re-elected.

Other defendants in the suit are the Speaker of the House of Representatives , the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the All Progressive Congress(APC).

The accusation against the Speaker came after the trial judge, Justice Okong Abang, asked which of the defendants were in court for the matter.

Then the PDP counsel, Chris Uche, SAN, stood up and said that the Speaker had refused to be served court hearing notice, adding that he was disrespecting the court by his actions.

“It is most unfortunate and highly regrettable that the second defendant who is the Speaker of the House of Representatives, a symbol of our lawmaking process, is refusing to accept the process from the Federal High Court.

“Nonetheless, we are humbly applying for a fresh hearing notice embodying the next date of hearing to be served on the Speaker of House of Representatives to appear before this honorable court even if as a mark of respect to the judiciary,” he said.

The court’s Registrar also told the judge that regarding the Speaker, what was in the court’s custody was an affidavit of “non-service”( that is, attempt to serve proved abortive).

On his part, Justice Abang adjourned to March 9 for hearing but ordered that another “hearing notice should be issued on the second defendant”.

After the court proceedings, Dogara’s counsel, Johnson Jacob Usman, told newsmen that he was persuaded that the PDP has no case against his client.

He also claimed that Dogara was not a member of the APC.

“It is true that the constitution does not recognize independent candidature but the case they brought before the court is that my client Dogara, who was elected on the platform of PDP has crosscarpetted to the APC and we are saying that my client has not joined any political party so as of today, he is not a member of either APC or PDP,” he said.

THE WHISTLER had reported that the Governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala-Buni, had on July 24, 2020, met with President Muhammadu Buhari, in company of Dogara, following his defection from the PDP.

Muni also told newsmen that Dogara decamped to the APC.