The Court of Appeal in Abuja has set aside the October 30, 2025 judgment of the Federal High Court which removed Abubakar Suleiman Gummi from the House of Representatives of Nigeria.
In a unanimous decision delivered on Friday, a three-member panel of the appellate court ruled that the trial court erred when it declared Gummi’s seat vacant over his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Gummi, who represents the Gummi/Bukkuyum Federal Constituency of Zamfara State, had left the PDP for the APC, citing the leadership crisis within the opposition party, particularly at the national level.
He argued that the internal crisis in the party made it difficult for him to effectively represent his constituents and ensure they benefited from democratic governance without undue interference.
Delivering the judgment, Justice Oyebiola Oyewumi held that the lawmaker had the right to leave the party in view of the widely known crisis within the PDP.
The court upheld the reasons given by Gummi for his defection, noting that a party member is entitled to seek another political platform if the stability of the current platform is threatened.
Justice Oyewumi subsequently allowed the appeal, marked CA/ABJ/CV/1606/2025, and set aside the earlier judgment delivered on October 30, 2025 by Justice Obiora Egwuatu in the suit filed by the PDP and the Zamfara State Chairman of the party, Jamilu Jibomagayaki.
The appellate court also awarded a cost of N1 million against the PDP and Jibomagayaki in favour of Gummi.
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