Justice Egwuatu Warns Politicians Against ‘Political Prostitution’
The Federal High Court in Abuja has sacked Hon. Abubakar Gummi, the lawmaker representing Gummi/Bukkuyum Federal Constituency of Zamfara State, for defecting from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Delivering judgment on Thursday, Justice Obiora Egwuatu declared Gummi’s seat vacant and directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a fresh election within 30 days to fill the vacancy.
The judge also restrained the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, from recognising Gummi as a member of the House, following a suit filed by the PDP and its Zamfara State Chairman, Jamilu Jibomagayaki.
Justice Egwuatu, while granting all the reliefs sought by the plaintiffs, condemned what he described as the increasing trend of political defection among lawmakers. He cautioned politicians against “treating defection as normal,” urging them to respect the mandate freely given to them by the electorate.
“It is legally and morally wrong for a politician to abandon the party under whose platform he or she was elected into office and move to another party without relinquishing that mandate,” the judge stated.
“If a person must decamp, don’t decamp with the mandate of the electorate. Political prostitution must not be rewarded.”
He further held that by defecting from the PDP to the APC before the expiration of his tenure, Gummi automatically lost his seat under Section 68(1)(g) of the 1999 Constitution.
The court also ordered Gummi to refund all salaries and allowances received since October 30, 2024, and to submit proof of repayment to the court’s registry within 30 days.
Additionally, Justice Egwuatu awarded a cost of ₦500,000 in favour of the plaintiffs against the defendants.
