Breaking: Court bars NASS from taking over Bauchi Assembly

PAUL OMOKUVIE, Bauchi

The Bauchi State High Court on Monday granted an order stopping the National Assembly from taking over the state Assembly following the emergence of two speakers.

The judge, Justice Muazu Abubakar, granted the order following a motion ex-parte filed by the speaker, Hon Abubakar Sulieman, and 14 others including the clerk of the Bauchi State House of Assembly.

Those joined in the suit with number  BA/298M/2019, included the National Assembly, the Speaker, House of Representatives, the 12-member adhoc committee deployed to the state by the House to investigate the crisis, the Clerk of the National Assembly, the IGP, the Director SSS, the Bauchi State governor and others.

Justice Abubakar granted the order upon hearing the motion ex-parte dated 19th July 2019,  in support as well as the written address, brought pursuant to sections 36 and 46 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), and Article 7 (1) (a) of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act, L. F. N. 2004, Order 4, rules 3 and 4 of the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules, 2009 and under the inherent jurisdiction of the court.

 The judge said: “And after listening to and considering the submissions made through the written address by Jibrin S. Jibrin, A. S. Idris and U. K. Adam, learned counsel for the applicants, it is hereby ordered as follows: That an order of interim injunction be and is hereby made maintaining the status quo ante belium between the parties in this suit as at Thursday, 18th July 2019, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice/substantive application filed in this matter.”

He added that “the return date shall be 3rd October 2019, for motion on notice.”