A High Court in Abuja has dismissed a suit seeking to replace 27 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, on account of their alleged defection from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to the All-Progressives Congress (APC)
Justice Peter Lifu who delivered the judgment held that the suit instituted by the Action People’s Party APP was statute-barred, having not been filed within the 14 days allowed by law.
Justice Lifu held that the case was a gross abuse of court processes on the ground that several suits on the alleged defection of the same 27 lawmakers had been adjudicated upon by the federal high court.
The Judge who quoted the previous judgments of the federal high court said the request for replacement of the lawmakers had earlier been rejected due to lack of sufficient evidence to establish the defection of the legislators.
The judge further stated that it would amount to a display of judicial rascality for him to sit as an appeal court in the judgment of the same court.
The Judge subsequently dismissed the suit on the three major grounds.
