Tambuwal, APC Sue PDP Over Bid To Unseat Speaker

SPEAKER of the House of Representatives, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal and his new party, the All Progressive Congress (APC) Friday instituted an action at the Federal High Court, Abuja Division, seeking to thwart efforts of his former party,  the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to unseat him as speaker following his defection.

Tambuwal and APC also want the court to declare as illegal, the decision of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to withdraw his security aides while he remains speaker.

In the action commenced by their counsel, Jubrin Okutepa (SAN), Tambuwal and APC want the court to declare that the attempt to declare his seat vacant as a member and speaker is unlawful and unconstitutional.

Cited as defendants in the suit are Peoples Democratic Party, its National Chairman, Adamu Mu’azu, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Inspector General of Police, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) as first to seventh defendants respectively.

Tambuwal wants the court to declare that he remains a member and Speaker of the House of Representatives until the expiration of his current term of office on June 5, 2015.

Tambuwal also wants the court to declare that withdrawal of his security details when he has not been removed from office as speaker and member of the House of Representatives is illegal and unconstitutional.

He also  prayed for an order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants from taking any steps to interfere or infringe on his rights and privileges as the speaker of the House of Representatives and as a member of the house before the expiration of his term.

He also wants the court to give an order of perpetual injunction restraining INEC from accepting any nomination of candidates or organising a by-election for the purpose of replacing him.

He is also seeking an order of mandatory injunction compelling the IGP and the AGF to restore his security details and all other rights, benefits and privileges appurtenant to members of and the office of the Honorable Speaker.

In a 40-paragraph affidavit deposed to by Tambuwal himself, he averred: “On the 28th day of October 2014, the PDP and its national chairman threatened to forcibly remove me from office as the speaker of the House of Representatives. The threat was made public as reported by some national dailies of October 29”.

He added that the House of Representatives and the deputy speaker on October 30 began to strategize on how to unlawfully remove him from office as speaker of the house of representatives.

“I know that on the 30th day of October 30, 2014, the IG, at the behest of defendants, withdrew my security details hereby exposing me to danger of bodily harm all in their bid to forcibly remove me from office”, Tambuwal stated.

The plaintiff also averred that he has become apprehensive that the defendants will use unlawful means to make good their threats if the court does not intervene to stop them.

In a separate suit filed by Dr. Tunji Abayomi on behalf of Tambuwal, Abayomi prayed for a temporary order of court directing the return of the security aides of the speaker pending the determination of the suit.Abayomi also prayed the court for an order restraining the defendants from interfering with the rights and privileges whatsoever attached to the office of the speaker pending the determination of the suit.

The two cases are yet to be assigned to a judge.