Sports

Sack Dogara for defecting to APC, PDP tells court

Published

3 years ago

December 14, 2020

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has asked the Federal High Court in Abuja to sack a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, for defecting to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Dogara, representing Dass, Tafawa Balewa and Bogoro Federal Constituency of Bauchi State in the House, defected from the APC to the PDP before the last general election and won a re-election to the House on the platform of the PDP.

Dogara, on July 24, returned to the APC after submitting a resignation letter to the PDP Chairman of the Bogoro ‘C’ Ward, in Bauchi State, according to court documents.

The PDP and its Bauchi State Chairman, Mr Hamza Akuyam, listed as plaintiffs in the FHC/ABJ/CS/1060/2020 suit, are contending among others, that by virtue of Section 68(1)(g) of the constitution, Dogara, by defecting from the party that sponsored him to the National Assembly before the expiration of his tenure, ought to vacate the seat as he is no longer qualified to partake in the activities of the House.

Those listed as defendants in the suit filed for the plaintiffs by their lawyer, Mr Jibrin S. Jibrin, are Dogara, the Speaker of House of Representatives, the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the APC.

Akuyam stated in a supporting affidavit that there was no crisis or division in the PDP, being the political platform under which the election of the first defendant (Dogara) as a serving member of the National Assembly was sponsored and from which he has defected to the fifth defendant (APC) before the expiration of the period for which he was elected.

He also stated that there were no mergers involving the PDP from which Dogara defected.

Akuyam added that having defected from the PDP before the expiration of the period for which he was elected, Dogara “has lost his seat/office as a member of the House of Representatives and is no longer entitled to participate in the legislative proceedings and other business of the National Assembly and/or entitled to salaries and allowances as a member of the National Assembly.”

They want the court to direct Dogara to vacate his seat in the National Assembly and to refund all the salaries, allowances and all emoluments collected from the date of his defection from the PDP.

The suit, now before Justice Okon Abang, was not heard on December 7 when it was listed for hearing but rescheduled for March 5, 2021.

Sports

Revealed: How Peseiro’s decision to axe six senior Super Eagles players backfired

Published

13 hours ago

December 2, 2023

Trends Admin

Super Eagles head coach, Jose Peseiro

Revealed: How Peseiro’s decision to axe six senior Super Eagles players backfired

The head coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Jose Peseiro is currently under huge pressure for the team to meet expectations at next month Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire.

His short term deal with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) will expire after the tournament but it will be extended if he leads the team to at least the final of the tournament.

In the build up to the tournament, the team has lost 60 percent of the games played since the Portuguese was made coach of the team, and more revelations has now been made about how he has handled the team in the period under review.

After securing passage to the AFCON, the coach started the process of building a team for the AFCON and took a drastic decision to axe six senior players from the team, with some even kicked out of the squad entirely.

Revealed: How Peseiro’s decision to axe six senior Super Eagles players backfired

Sports

Shoretire battles Gernacho for Man Utd goal of the week award

Published

13 hours ago

December 2, 2023

Trends Admin

Shoretire battles Gernacho for Man Utd goal of the week award

Newcastle-born Nigerian midfielder Shola Shoretire is in the running for the monthly Manchester United’s Goal of the Month award for November 2023 award.

Shoretire’s wonderful free kick against Everton in a Premier League 2 match is included among the 10 contenders for the award.

Shoretire, who captained the development squad in several games this season, has been starved of game time for the first team since Erik ten Hag took over the managerial reins at Old Trafford.

Still, he has continued to impress for the U21s after missing out on a loan move in the summer.

The Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year for 2020-2021 has been shortlisted for his brilliant goal against Everton in a Premier League 2 fixture on November 4 at Leigh Sports Village.