The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has initiated legal proceedings against four federal lawmakers from Osun State who recently defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC), seeking to have their seats declared vacant.
In four separate suits filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, the PDP is demanding the removal of:
Senator Francis Adenigba Fadahunsi (Osun East)
Senator Olubiyi Oluwole Fadeyi (Osun Central)
Hon. Omirin Emmanuel Olusanya (Atakumosa East/West and Ilesa East/West Federal Constituency)
Hon. Taofeek Abimbola Ajilesoro (Ife Central/East/North/South Federal Constituency)
The cases, filed on Wednesday by PDP’s lead counsel Raphael Oyewole, name additional defendants including the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio (2nd defendant in senatorial cases), and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas (2nd defendant in the cases involving House members).
Also joined in the suits are the National Assembly, the Clerk of the National Assembly, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), listed as 3rd to 5th defendants.
Constitutional Grounds
Citing Section 68(1)(g) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the PDP contends that elected lawmakers who defect from the political party under which they were voted into office automatically forfeit their seats—unless the defection is due to a division, merger, or an officially recognised faction within the original party.
“Their continued stay in office after defecting to the APC is unconstitutional and unlawful. Their seats are deemed vacant by operation of law,” the PDP submitted in its filings.
Reliefs Sought by PDP
Among the major reliefs the PDP is seeking from the court are:
A mandamus order compelling the Senate President and House Speaker to declare the affected seats vacant.
A directive to INEC to organize bye-elections in the concerned constituencies and senatorial districts.
An immediate halt to the payment of salaries, allowances, and entitlements to the defected lawmakers.
A refund of all earnings received by the legislators from the date of their defection until final judgment.
The PDP emphasized that these actions are necessary to uphold constitutional order and restore legislative integrity within the National Assembly.
Case Details
The cases were filed under the following suit numbers:
FHC/ABJ/CS/1725/2025 – Senator Francis Fadahunsi
FHC/ABJ/CS/1728/2025 – Senator Olubiyi Fadeyi
FHC/ABJ/CS/1727/2025 – Hon. Omirin Olusanya
FHC/ABJ/CS/1726/2025 – Hon. Taofeek Ajilesoro
As of the time of this report, the cases have not yet been assigned to a judge.
