The Ondo state house of assembly says it has directed its lawyers to investigate the court order stopping it from impeaching Lucky Aiyedatiwa, deputy governor of the state.
On Monday, a federal high court in Abuja had restrained the Ondo assembly from impeaching Aiyedatiwa.
That same day, the state house of assembly had served an impeachment notice on Aiyedatiwa over gross misconduct and abuse of office.
In a statement on Tuesday signed by Oladiji Adesanmi, its speaker, the assembly said it served Aiyedatiwa the notice of impeachment within seven days after it was signed by more than one-third of the members of the house as required under section 188(2) of the constitution.
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The house said it is shocked that rather than react, the deputy governor filed multiple suits “in a bid to stop the legislative process”.
The assembly said it is fully conscious of section 188 (10) of the constitution which states that ‘no proceedings or determination of the panel or of the house of assembly or any matter relating to such proceedings or determination shall be entertained or questioned in any court’.
“In the case of Abaribe V. Abia State House of Assembly (2022) 14 NWLR (Pt. 788) 466, the Court of Appeal emphatically stated that it was wrong for the Appellant to jump the gun by rushing to the Court to stop his impeachment process on the ground of alleged breach of fair hearing when the panel to investigate and hear him had not even been constituted,” the statement reads.
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“The Court of Appeal then restated that by the provision of Section 188 (10) of the Constitution, no court has the jurisdiction at that stage to interfere in the legislative proceedings for impeachment.
“The Supreme Court has repeatedly restated that the Court can only intervene when the procedures for impeachment have been breached.
“In this case however, the Deputy Governor rushed to court even before the notice of impeachment was served on him.
“For the records, no procedures have been breached in any way.
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“In view of these, the House has directed its team of Lawyers to investigate the purported injunction secured by the Deputy Governor and report any judicial officer who might have abused his office in granting the unconstitutional ex-parte injunction to the appropriate institution for necessary disciplinary action.”
The house of assembly assured the public that it would proceed with the legislative process to a logical conclusion and will strictly follow the constitutional procedures.
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