In a bid to retain his seat in the House of Representatives, Speaker Aminu Tambuwal and his new party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), yesterday dragged the Federal Government and six others before the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, over the withdrawal of his security aides and what he describes as an attempt to declare his seat vacant.

Tambuwal in the suit filed at the registry of the court through his counsel, Jubrin Okutepa (SAN), is asking the court to declare that the attempt to declare his seat vacant as a member and Speaker of the House is unlawful and unconstitutional. The speaker had during the week defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC, a development which led to the withdrawal of his security details by the acting Inspector General of Police, Mr. Sulemain Abba. The development, however, emerged on a day the Minister of Interior, Abba Moro, while commenting on Tambuwal’s defection, described him as a “political prostitute”, whose stock in trade was to shuttle from one political party to the other.

Moro said the defection of the speaker and other lawmakers, including those making similar moves would not affect PDP’s chances in the 2015 election. “Fundamentally, if you look at the antecedents of some of these politicians especially Tambuwal, you know that he had moved from party to party; he was in ANPP from where he moved to PDP, and now he has moved from PDP back to APC which is the incarnation of ANPP,” Moro said.

However, Tambuwal in the suit cited as defendants the national Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Adamu Mu’azu; Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha; Inspector General of Police, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice as first to seventh. He prayed the court to declare that he remains a member and the speaker of the House until the expiration of his current term of office on June 5, 2015.

Tambuwal also wants the court to declare that withdrawal of his security details when he has not been removed from office as speaker and member of the House is illegal and unconstitutional. He, however, prayed for an order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants from taking any steps to interfere or infringe on his rights and privileges as the speaker of the House and as a member before the expiration of his term. He also wants the court to give an order of perpetual injunction restraining INEC from accepting any nomination of candidates or organising a by-election for the purpose of replacing him.

Also, Tambuwal wants an order of mandatory injunction compelling the IG and the AGF to restore his security details and all other rights, benefits and privileges appurtenant to members of and the office of the speaker. In a 40-paragraph affidavit deposed to by Tambuwal himself, he averred that “On the 28th day of October 2014, the PDP and its national chairman threatened to forcibly remove me from office as the speaker of the House of Representatives, adding that the threat was made public as reported by some national dailies of October 29.”

He further averred that House and the deputy speaker on October 30 began to strategise on how to unlawfully remove me from office as speaker of the House of Representatives. “That I know that on the 30th day of October 30, 2014, the IG at the behest of defendants withdrew my security details hereby exposing me to danger of bodily harm all in their bid to forcibly remove from office,” Tambuwal stated. The plaintiff also averred that he had become apprehensive that the defendants would use unlawful means to make good their threats if the court did not intervene to stop them.

In a separate suit filed by Dr. Tunji Abayomi on behalf of Tambuwal, Abayomi prays for a temporary order of court directing the return of the security aides of the speaker pending the determination of the suit. Abayomi also prayed the court for an order restraining the defendants from interfering with the rights and privileges whatsoever attached to the office of the speaker pending the determination of the suit.

Also, the Buhari Campaign Organisation, yesterday pleaded with President Jonathan to protect and guarantee the security of Tambuwal. Spokesman for the group, Osita Okechukwu, said the appeal had become necessary as the sudden withdrawal of the security details attached to the speaker had exposed him to danger. Meanwhile, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha, has described a media report that he hosted Speaker Aminu Tambuwal to a reception, after the latter defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday.

A statement issued by Ihedioha’s Chief Press Secretary, Oke Epia, said the deputy speaker did not host Tambuwal to reception after defecting from the PDP. “Not only is the false report a figment of the imagination of those who intend to cause disaffection between him and the PDP, the deputy speaker strongly denies that any such thing happened.“It is on record that the deputy speaker is a founding member of the PDP, has remained in the party since 1998 and will continue to protect and promote its interest and fortunes.”