The Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, has instituted legal action against the State House of Assembly, its Speaker, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), and several others over an alleged plot to impeach him.
In a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2212025, filed at the Federal High Court, Abuja, Ewhrudjakpo alleged that lawmakers were being pressured to remove him for refusing to resign from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) following Governor Douye Diri’s resignation from the party.
Through his counsel, Reuben Egwuaba, the deputy governor claimed that certain local government chairmen, including Mrs Alice Tange of Sagbama LGA, were also facing threats of removal for not defecting alongside the governor.
Justice Emeka Nwite, on October 27, directed the defendants to appear before the court and explain why the interim injunctions sought should not be granted.
Listed as defendants in the suit are: Bayelsa State House of Assembly, its Speaker, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), the Director General of the State Security Service (SSS), the Attorney General of Bayelsa State, the state’s Chief Judge and the Clerk of the state’s Assembly.
Justice Nwite, in the October 27 ruling, held that the interest of justice will be met by issuing an order for all the defendants to appear and show cause why an order of interim injunction should not be granted against them pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice filed by the plaintiff.
The judge adjourned till November 13 for the defendants to show cause, failing which he would proceed to hear the motion on notice.
The interim reliefs being sought in the motion on notice includes an order restraining the defendants from removing or impeaching Ewhrudjakpo by disregarding the provision of Section 188(5), (6), (7)(a), (b), (8), (9) and (11) and Section 36(1) of the Constitution based on his decision not to defect/decamp from the PDO to the All Progressives Congress (APC) or any registered political party before the expiration of his four years tenure as an elected deputy governor of Bayelsa state pending hearing of the motion on notice.
He also wants an order restraining the defendants from initiating impeachment notice, impeachment proceedings/meetings of the Bayelsa state House of Assembly against him on his decision not to defect/decamp from the PDP to the APC before the expiration of his four-year tenure as an elected Deputy Governor of Bayelsa state, pending the hearing of the motion on notice.
Ewhrudjakpo also wants an order restraining the defendants from conducting any meeting, sitting, or conference for the purpose of initiating or igniting impeachment proceedings against him, as well as an order restraining the defendants from recognising and dealing with the appointment of any member of the APC as the Deputy Governor of the state.
He is also praying the court for an order restraining the IGP, the DG of the SSS and the Bayelsa State AG from withdrawing his security protection as Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State pending the hearing of the motion on notice.
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