Impeachment of Achuba, Kogi dep gov, legislative rascality, court rules

Emmanuel Adeyemi, Lokoja

A Lokoja High Court   yesterday declared that the impeachment of Simon Achuba as the deputy governor t of Kogi State was illegal and  ordered the state government to pay him all entitlements accruable to him

Delivering  his judgement, Justice John Olorunfemi  declared  that the decision of the  House of Assembly to proceed with the impeachment last October was an act of “legislative rascality devoid of reasoning”

Justice  Olorunfemi said that he could not understand why the legislators whose responsibility is to make laws for the state suddenly turned out to be law breakers.

He lamented that the lawmakers chose  to proceed with the purported impeachment even when the  7-man committee set out by the chief judge of the state to investigate allegations of gross misconduct against the deputy governor had declared him not guilty.

The court therefore granted all the prayers of the defendant to the effect that the impeachment of the deputy governor carried out by the Assembly and subsequent swearing in of Chief Edward Onoja on the 18th October 2019 is null ,void and therefore is of no cnsequence.

He said that the chief judge of the state,  Justice Nasir Ajana should not have gone ahead with the swearing in of Onoja as no further action should have taken place after the “no guilty verdict” of the seven man committee set up to investigate the deputy governor.

Justice Olorunfemi also ordered that all the relieves sought by the claimant be granted  without further delay.

Reacting to the judgment, Ojonimi Apeh who represented Jibrin Okutepa SAN described the court’s decision as a victory for democracy and rule of law.

He commended the judge for the well researched  verdict and the industry put into writing of  the judgement adding however that they are prepared to meet their opponents at the appeal court should they not be satisfied with the  decision of the court.

Yemi Mohammed,  who represented the Chief judge of Kogi State, Nasir Ajana,  commended the judge for the well researched judgment but absorbed his client from all blames.