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.

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.