A Federal High Court in Abuja has sacked a member of the House of Representatives, Idu Emeka Godwin, representing Onitsha North/South federal constituency from the House.

The court on Thursday ordered the Independent National Election Commission (INEC), to withdraw the certificate of return issued to Idu Emeka Godwin and to issue a fresh certificate of return to Lynda Chuba-Ikpeazu, after holding that she was wrongly substituted.

The court held that Chuba-Ikpeazu was the authentic candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the April 11, 2015 election.

Justice Adeniyi Ademola who gave the order while delivering judgment on a pre- election suit filed by Chuba-Ikpeazu also ordered the National Assembly, specifically, the House of Representatives to swear in the plaintiff as a member of the House.

Chuba-Ikpeazu who won the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) primary election conducted on December 7, 2014 had in the suit challenged her substitution with Idu Emeka Godwin by the party.

Delivering the judgment, Justice Ademola said that Chuba-Ikpeazu having been listed as candidate of PDP for the 2015 general election for the House of Representatives following her emergence as the winner of the primary election, should not have been substituted.

The court held that the substitution would have been valid only if the plaintiff voluntarily withdrew or died.

He agreed with the submission of the plaintiff counsel that it was not lawful for INEC to have accepted the name of PDP candidates for the election, other than that approved by the National Working Committee.

The plaintiff in her affidavit in support of the suit had said that she and other aspirants participated in the primaries conducted on December 7, 2014, at the instance of the National Executives but were disappointed when an order of the Federal High Court compelled INEC to publish the list of candidates produced by a factional state executive of PDP.

She further averred that the Court of Appeal upheld their appeal against the ruling and struck out the suit. But INEC failed to reflect her name as the PDP candidate and that when she approached the PDP they could not offer any tangible explanation for her substitution.

[size=15pt]Want to discuss on more breaking news stories? Join Naija Pips.com forum [/size]

http://www.google.com.ng/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CB0QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thisdaylive.com%2Farticles%2Fcourt-sacks-house-member-for-wrongful-substitution%2F213142%2F&ei=wxuNVaTdHbLK7Qb0krXwCA&usg=AFQjCNEGw3-6r3j8j9ZpP45yDOVsR_5E4Q&sig2=TvfLb5rXcIWXJ31tzfb-lA&bvm=bv.96782255,d.ZGU

What about the wardrobe allowance?