Defection Backfires: Abuja Court Unseats Lawmaker, Blasts ‘Political Prostitutes’ in Power

PoliticsNigeria has taken to its online handle and announced that, the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has sacked Hon. Abubakar Suleiman Gummi, the member representing Gummi/Bukkuyum Federal Constituency of Zamfara State, for defecting from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Delivering judgment on Thursday, Justice Obiora Egwuatu declared Gummi’s defection unconstitutional and described it as part of a “growing culture of political prostitution” that must not be rewarded in Nigeria’s democratic system.

The judge consequently ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a by-election within 30 days to fill the now-vacant seat and directed the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, to cease recognising Gummi as a member of the Green Chamber.

In a further blow to the embattled lawmaker, the court ordered him to refund all salaries and allowances he had received from October 30, 2024, to the date of the judgment, and to file proof of the refund within 30 days. A ₦500,000 cost was also awarded in favour of the PDP.

Justice Egwuatu, in his strongly worded remarks, faulted politicians who defect between parties after securing electoral mandates, saying such actions betray the trust of voters and weaken Nigeria’s party system.

> “Politicians should respect the wishes of the electorate who elected them. When voters choose between political parties based on their manifestos, it is both legally and morally wrong for an elected person to abandon the party under which he was elected,” the judge said.



He added:

> “If a person must decamp, don’t decamp with the mandate of the electorate. A politician has no such right to transfer votes garnered on the platform of one party to another. Political prostitution must not be rewarded.”

Court Upholds PDP’s Argument

The suit, FHC/ABJ/CS/1803/2024, was instituted by the PDP and its Zamfara State Chairman, Jamilu Jibomagayaki, through Ibrahim Bawa (SAN). The party argued that Gummi’s defection violated Section 68(1)(g) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which provides that any lawmaker who defects without a proven division in their party automatically loses their seat.

The court upheld the PDP’s position, ruling that there was no evidence of division within the PDP, either at the national or state level, capable of justifying Gummi’s defection.

Defence Dismissed

Gummi, through his counsel, had argued that internal crises within the PDP made it impossible for him to effectively represent his constituents. The court, however, dismissed the claim as unsubstantiated and self-serving, insisting that internal disagreements do not amount to the type of division envisaged by the Constitution.

Legal observers have hailed the verdict as a significant step toward restoring discipline and accountability in Nigeria’s political process.
They noted that the decision could discourage the persistent wave of defections that has characterised the country’s politics in recent years.

A senior political analyst who spoke with Daily Trust described the judgment as a “warning signal to political defectors”, noting that it may serve as a judicial precedent ahead of the 2027 general elections.

With the judgment now in effect, INEC has 30 days to organise a by-election to fill the vacant Gummi/Bukkuyum Federal Constituency seat.
Political watchers say the contest will likely test the strength of both the PDP and APC in Zamfara, where political control has often swung between both parties.