Rising from an emergency meeting late evening, the lawmakers said they would change the House leadership today, barring any last minute change of decision, upon the plurality attained by the party after the defection of 37 members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP to the APC last December.
The legislators insisted that the court order did not come to them as a surprise because they had prior knowledge of its outcome.
The ruling PDP had on January 7, filed a suit seeking an order to stop APC lawmakers from making any leadership change in the House.
Joined in the suit were the Speaker, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, his deputy, Emeka Ihedioha, House Leader Mulikat Akande-Adeola, her deputy Leo Ogor and Chief Whip, Isiaka Bawa, among other principal officers.
Justice Adeiyi Ademola in entertaining the case, yesterday, issued an order restraining the principal officers and other lawmakers from making any leadership change, by maintaining the status quo ante.
However, APC Representatives rejected the court verdict.
An APC lawmaker, Rep Ali Sani Madaki from Kano State, who attended yesterday’s meeting toldVanguard that the court lacked the jurisdiction to issue such an order, describing it as “a black market judgement.”
He said: “Hopefully, we will make the changes today at plenary since we now have the majority and are expecting more members to join us.
“Yes, the order has been issued, but our decision is that we will not accept this black market judgement.”
“This is illegal, and as lawmakers we won’t accept any illegality. This will not be accepted anywhere in the world.”
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