By Ken Afor
Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, SAN, the lawyer for Ondo State Deputy Governor, Hon. Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has provided an explanation for why his client chose not to respond to the State House of Assembly’s notice of impeachment.
Adegboruwa asked Olusegun Odusola, the state’s chief judge, in a letter to disregard the State House of Assembly’s order to form a panel of inquiry, claiming that doing so would be a violation of the court’s authority and be considered contempt of court.
According to him “Aiyedatiwa did not respond to the notice sent to his office by the House of Assembly because of the restraining order already issued on the matter by the Federal High Court.
“Under and by virtue of section 287(3) of the Constitution, “all persons and authorities in Nigeria” are to obey and give effect to the orders of the Federal High Court.
“Our Client swore on oath to defend the Constitution and he cannot act against the said Constitution to disobey the valid and subsisting order of the Federal High Court of Nigeria which has halted the removal proceedings.”
He said that his” Client has not been personally served with any valid Notice of acts of gross misconduct as required by law.
”Our Client is not in receipt of any valid notice of acts of gross misconduct properly so issued and bearing the authority of the House of Assembly of Ondo State to which he can respond.”
Adegboruwa added that “Our Client has filed and served two separate applications upon the Ondo State House of Assembly, seeking orders of interlocutory injunction against the removal proceedings and also to stay further proceedings in respect of the invalid Notice, which was illegally issued and improperly served.”
He said that “since the House of Assembly has already joined matters in the court over the issue by filing an appeal against the restraining order, it will be against the law to continue with the impeachment process without awaiting the outcome of the case.
“The House of Assembly having submitted to the jurisdiction of the Court by filing processes in Suit No. AK/348/2023 pending before the High Court in Akure and also purporting to file a complaint before the National Judicial Council in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1249/2023 before the Federal High Court Abuja, is fully aware of and cognizant of the authority of the Court over the subject matter of the removal proceedings against our client.
“Consequently, it is our considered view that the matter of the planned removal of the Deputy Governor of Ondo State is now subjudice.”
While the matter lingers, Adegboruwa advised the parties involved to follow due process.
“Parties should follow the due process of law, the House of Assembly itself being a creation of law, seeking to implement the provisions of law, rightly or wrongly.
”It cannot and should not be allowed to take the law into its own hands by openly disregarding a subsisting order of court and other court processes duly served upon it.”
” It would be a contempt of court to proceed with the impeachment process when the parties are involved in two cases in the Federal High Court in Abuja and State High Court in Akure,” he added.
It would be recalled that on Tuesday, the State House Assembly gave Justice Olusegun Odusola, the chief justice of the state, an order to convene a 7-man panel to investigate the deputy governor’s alleged wrongdoing.
Following accusations of financial misconduct and abuse of authority, the House indicted the deputy governor.
It was claimed that the deputy governor gave his approval for the sum of N300 million to buy an SUV for personal use while acting in place of his principal, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, who was receiving medical treatment in Germany.
Members of the House demanded his impeachment in response to the allegations.
However, Mr. Agboola Ajayi’s impeachment proceedings were stopped by the deputy governor, who was appointed by his principal after Mr. Ajayi was dismissed.
The court however granted his request but the members of the house had insisted that the impeachment proceedings must continue.
