Justice Obiora Egwatu stopped the Zamfara State House of Assembly from taking any further step to impeach the deputy governor over his refusal to defect from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
A Federal High Court in Abuja has stopped the impeachment move against Zamfara State Deputy Governor, Alhaji Mahadi Aliyu Gusau.
Justice Obiora Egwatu stopped the Zamfara State House of Assembly from taking any further step to impeach the deputy governor over his refusal to defect from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The state governor, Bello Matawalle, recently defected to the APC from the PDP and he and his deputy has been at loggerheads since then over the former's refusal to also defect to the APC.
Justice Egwatu gave the ruling on Monday follow an ex parte application filed by the PDP.
After listening to the arguments canvassed by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief James Onoja Ogwu, the judge held that the apprehension of the applicant in respect of the impeachment move was serious and justified to restrain the defendants from carrying out the alleged action.
The judge also restrained the Chief Judge of Zamfara State from constituting any panel for the purpose of investigating Gusau pending the determination of a motion on notice filed by the PDP, Daily Post reports.
Other defendants in the matter are the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), APC, the Senate President, Speaker of House of Representatives, Speaker of Zamfara House of Assembly and Governor Matawalle.
Aliyu is the son of a former National Security Adviser, General Aliyu Muhammed Gusau.
Aside from refusing to defect to the APC like his boss, Aliyu also recently addressed a rally of the PDP, the platform that brought the two of them to power, to reaffirm his loyalty to the party.
It appears the move did not go down well with Matawalle as he told the Hausa Service of Deutsch Welle on Sunday that he was getting fed up with Aliyu’s disrespectful attitude.
“I won’t join issues with him. But if he dares me, I will give him the treatment he deserves,” Matawalle said.
The governor's interview and threat came some hours after the state House of Assembly invited the Aliyu to explain why he held the rally without regard for the current insecurity situation in the state.