The Federal High Court in Abuja has sacked Representative Abubakar Suleiman Gummi from his position in the House of Representatives for switching allegiance from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) without justifiable cause.
The judgment, delivered on Thursday, October 30, 2025, by Justice Obiora Egwuatu, declared Gummi's defection unconstitutional under Section 68(1)(g) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which stipulates that a lawmaker forfeits their seat upon crossing party lines unless there is a verifiable division within their original party.
The court emphasized that no such internal schism existed in the PDP at the time of Gummi's move.
The suit, filed on November 29, 2024, by the PDP and its Zamfara State Chairman, Jamilu Jibomagayaki, sought to enforce this constitutional provision.
Plaintiffs argued that Gummi's actions amounted to a betrayal of the electorate's mandate, as he was elected under the PDP banner in the 2023 general elections to represent the Gummi/Bukkuyum Federal Constituency in Zamfara State.In his counter-affidavit, Gummi defended the defection, attributing it to "lingering unresolved internal and external crises" both at the national PDP level and within his constituency.
He claimed these issues had crippled his ability to effectively represent his people and deliver democratic dividends without interference.However, Justice Egwuatu dismissed these arguments, granting all nine reliefs sought by the plaintiffs.
The court ordered:Immediate vacation of Gummi's seat in the House of Representatives.
Restraint on Speaker Tajudeen Abbas from recognizing Gummi as the constituency's representative.
A directive to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a by-election within 30 days to fill the vacancy.
Cessation of all salaries, allowances, and emoluments to Gummi, with a mandate to refund all such payments received from October 30, 2024, to the judgment date, verifiable within 30 days.
A N500,000 fine against Gummi in favor of the plaintiffs.
Delivering the verdict, Justice Egwuatu issued a stern rebuke against "political prostitution," urging politicians to honor voters' choices.
"A situation where the electorates have made their choices between different political parties and their candidates based on the manifestos and marketability of such a political party, it is legally and morally wrong for such a politician to abandon the party under which platform he or she was elected into office and move to a rival party without relinquishing the mandate of his or her former party," the judge stated.
He added: "If a person must decamp, don’t decamp with the mandate of the electorates. Don’t transfer the votes garnered on the platform of one party to another party.
A politician has no such rights to transfer votes of a political party to another political party.
The law must punish such moves by taking away the benefits bestowed upon the decampee politician by the electorates.
"Gummi, through his legal team led by a senior advocate, had filed a preliminary objection, but it was overruled. As of press time, neither Gummi nor the APC has issued an official reaction to the ruling, though sources close to the lawmaker indicate plans to appeal the decision at the Court of Appeal.
This case marks another blow to cross-carpet politics in Nigeria's National Assembly, where defections have been rampant amid party crises.
It echoes recent judicial interventions, including the Zamfara PDP's criticism of a lawmaker's defection as "unwise," highlighting ongoing tensions within the political landscape.
The ruling could prompt a fresh electoral contest in Gummi/Bukkuyum, potentially reshaping the balance of power in Zamfara's representation at the federal level.
INEC has yet to confirm timelines for the by-election, but the 30-day window places urgency on preparations.
Political analysts view the decision as a reinforcement of constitutional fidelity, potentially deterring opportunistic defections ahead of the 2027 elections.
"This is a clear message: mandates belong to the people and the party that won them, not to individual ambitions," one Abuja-based commentator noted.
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