Alleged expulsion: Imo PDP leaders ask court to sack Rep Ugochinyere

Four leaders of the Imo Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have prayed the Federal High Court in Abuja to order Ikenga Ugochinyere to vacate his seat in the House of Representatives,  having been expelled from the party.

The leaders, in a fresh suit filed by their lawyer, Johnson Usman, SAN, are seeking an order directing the embattled lawmaker to refund all the salaries, allowances and all emolument collected from the date of his expulsion to the Federal Government forthwith.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ugochinyere is the the member representing Ideato North and South Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives.

The originating summons, marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/358/2025, is dated Feb. 26 and filed Feb. 27 by Usman.

The plaintiffs are Mr Austine Nwachukwu, Imo PDP Chairman; Mr Thankgod Okeke, PDP LGA Chairman, Ideato North LGA; Mrs Agatha Onyejisi, PDP Ward Chairman of Umuopia/Umukegwu Ward in Ideato North LGA, and Mr Carl Nwokoma, Imo PDP Vice Chairman/Orlu Zonal Chairman.

They sued Ugochinyere, House of Representatives Speaker, PDP and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as 1st to 4th defendants respectively.

The chieftains are seeking eight questions for determination.

They want the court to determine whether by virtue of the provisions of Sections 65 (2)(b), 68(1)(b) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), any member of the National Assembly (NASS) who has lost the membership of the political party that sponsored his election before the expiration of his term automatically loses his seat in the assembly, unless saved by the exception under that section.

“Whether by virtue of the provisions of Sections 65 (2b), 68(1)\(b) of the 1999 Constitution, the 1st defendant (Ugochinyere) who was expelled from the 3rd defendant (PDP), before the expiration of the term for which he was elected, has automatically lost his seats in the National Assembly.

“Whether by virtue of Section 68(2) of the Constitution, the 2nd defendant (Speaker) is under legal duty and obligation to declare as vacant, the seat of the Ist defendant in the House of Representatives in the National Assembly otherwise called the 10th Assembly,” among others.

They, therefore, urge the court to declare that Ugochinyere is no longer a member of NASS from the date he was expelled from the political party under which he was elected to NASS as a member of House of Representatives representing Ideato North and South Federal Constituency in Imo in the 2023 general elections.

They seek an order directing the House speaker to give effect to Section 68(1) of the 1999 Constitution pursuant to Section 68(2) of the same constitution to forthwith declare Ugochinyere’s seat vacant on the floor of the house.

They also seek  an order directing INEC to organise and conduct a bye-election into the seat of the member representing Ideato North and South Federal Constituency of Imo within 90 days, among other reliefs.

(NAN)