9.2 C
New York
Thursday, March 28, 2024

Supreme Court Sacks Delta Lawmaker, Orders Refund Of Salary

Must read

The supreme court of Nigeria on Friday, October 24, 2014 sacked Edoja Akpodiete, a member of the Delta state House of Assembly representing Ughelli North constituency II, ordering him to refund all salaries and allowances collected by him since he assumed the office in 2011, according to a Punch report.

This would signal the first time the apex court would order a refund of ill-gotten revenue.

The judgement was delivered by justice Walter Onnoghen, who ordered that Jenkins Gwede of the Democratic Peoples Party (DPP)  take over from the ousted lawmaker, ruling that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has erroneously issued Akpodiete the certificate of return as he was deposed as the sponsored candidate of the DPP 45 days before the elections took place on Tuesday, April 26, 2011

The supreme court also said INEC’s action was a cause for concern, awarding a cost of N650,000 each against the electoral body and the deposed Akodiete, affirming that the DPP had notified INEC of its decision of Gwede as its candidate after Akpodiete had withdrawn from the race and the party refunded the N2 million he used in acquiring the nomination form.

Justice Onnoghen said “INEC had foisted on the electorate of Ugelli North Constituency II of Delta State House of Assembly a pretender to the seat who not only withdrew from the election in writing but collected the deposit he paid to the 4th respondent (DPP) for the said election.”

Gwede had earlier had unfavourable judgments in a federal high court in Asaba, the Delta state capital on Wednesday, June 27, 2012 and at a court of appeal in Benin, Edo state on Wednesday, May 22, 2013.

 

More articles

- Advertisement -The Fast Track to Earning Income as a Publisher
- Advertisement -The Fast Track to Earning Income as a Publisher
- Advertisement -Top 20 Blogs Lifestyle

Latest article