Two members of the House of Representatives from Enugu State have been sacked by the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja.
The Judge that presided over the case, Justice Okon Abang ordered the two lawmakers, Hon. Stella Ngwu representing Igbo-Etiti/Uzo-Uwani Federal Constituency and Hon. Dennis Nnmachi Agbo from Igbo-Eze North/Udenu Federal Constituency, to immediately vacate their seats.
Their removal followed two pre-election suits that queried the process that led to their emergence as winners of primary election the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, conducted in the state in December 2014.
Delivering judgements on the matter, Justice Abang ordered that the sacked lawmakers should be replaced by Dr. Gabriel A Okafor (Igbo- Etiti/Uzo-Uwani Federal Constituency) and Hon. Chijioke H. Ugwu ( Igbo-Eze North/Udenu Federal Constituency).
He also ordered the removed lawmakers to refund into the coffers of the National Assembly, all monies they collected by way of salaries and allowances.
The court maintained that PDP and its National working Committee, cited as 1st and 2nd defendants, respectively, had no right or authority to use another delegate list aside names of delegates that emerged from congress the party held on November 1, 2014.
It directed the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to immediately issue Certificate of Return to both Okafor and Ugwu, even as it awarded N100, 000 cost against the defendants in favour of the plaintiff.
While INEC was the 3rd defendant in both cases, the sacked Reps members, Ngwu and Agbo, were cited as 4th defendants, respectively.
VANGUARD
