PDP crises: 22 senators, 57 reps drag Tukur, PDP to court over threats to legislative seats

Seventy-nine members of the National Assembly in the 'New PDP' on Wednesday asked an Abuja Federal High Court to restrain the national chairman of the party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, from declaring their seats vacant.

The plaintiffs, comprising 22 Senators and 57 members of the House of Representatives, said that the division within the party necessitated the holding of a parallel convention and that their defection to the Abubakar Baraje-led faction was legal.

Tukur, the Senate President, David Mark; the Speaker of the House of Reps, Aminu Tambuwal; PDP and the Independent National Electoral Commission, were listed as the defendants in the suit filed by their counsel, Tairu Adebayo.

The lawmakers raised a number of questions to be determined by the court, including, whether, considering the circumstances in the national and various state chapters of the PDP, there exist a faction or division within the party; and whether any of them or other members of the party holding elective seats who desire to become a member of another faction of the party or any other political party is not justified the provisions of section 68 (1) (g) of the 1999 Constitution.

They also, among other reliefs sought, asked the court to determine whether, in view of the provisions of section 68 (1) (g) of the 1999 Constitution, Tukur or any other officer of the party can declare their seats vacant.

Also, they want the court to declare that 'any of the plaintiffs or other members of the party who, pursuant to the crisis that led to factions/divisions in the PDP, joined or desires to join another political party is/are saved by the proviso to section 68 (1) (g) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended without losing his/their elective seats.'

In the same vein, the lawmakers prayed for an order restraining the INEC  from accepting nominations of any purported candidate and conducting by-election aimed at filling the seats of any of the plaintiffs or other members of the PDP who joined or may wish to become members of another political party in view of the present circumstances in the party.