The Ondo state House of Assembly has clarified that it has not suspended impeachment proceedings against the embattled deputy governor of the state, Lucky Aiyedatiwa.
According to the Assembly, the process was only put on hold due to the position of the Chief Judge of the state, Olusegun Odusola.
A statement issued during the weekend by the lawyer to the House of Assembly, Femi Emodamori, stated that the impeachment will be followed to a logical conclusion.
DAILY POST reported that the Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Olatunji Oshati, had on Friday stated that the Assembly will be suspending the impeachment process over the ex-parte order of an Abuja Federal High Court. https://dailypost.ng/2023/10/13/ondo-assembly-halts-impeachment-proceedings-against-aiyedatiwa/
However, Emodamori stressed that suspension claim is not the position of the Assembly.
He said, “There are too many judgments of the highest courts in Nigeria affirming that no court has the jurisdiction to dabble into an impeachment process, as long as the House of Assembly complies with all the constitutional process.
“The Honourable Chief Judge himself stated in his widely reported reply to my Client, that his lordship was not unmindful of the above provisions of Section 188(10) of the Constitution and even quoted it verbatim.
“His lordship however stated that as a Chief Judge, he would prefer that the ex parte Order, which his lordship believes “tied his hand”, should first be vacated or set aside. The Chief Judge obviously prefers to err on the side of caution.”
Ondo Assembly makes U-turn, vows to proceed with Aiyedatiwa’s impeachment