Ewhrudjakpo, through his lawyer, Reuben Egwuaba, filed an originating summon in which he alleged among others that members of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly were being pressured to impeach him for failing to resign, like the governor, from the PDP, on whose platform they got to office.
The Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, has approached the Federal High Court in Abuja seeking an order restraining the state House of Assembly and other defendants from impeaching him over his refusal to defect from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Ewhrudjakpo, through his lawyer, Reuben Egwuaba, filed an originating summon in which he alleged among others that members of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly were being pressured to impeach him for failing to resign, like the governor, from the PDP, on whose platform they got to office.
The suit, which also has the Speaker of the House, 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 Assembly as defendants, accused the lawmakers of plotting to remove Ewhrudjakpo from office.
It was also alleged that some local government chairmen, including that of Sagbama Local Government Area, Alice Tange, are being threatened with sack for allegedly failing to leave the PDP along with the governor.
After listening to his counsel, who moved an ex-parte motion, Justice Emeka Nwite ordered the defendants to appear before the court to show cause why the interim reliefs being sought against them by the plaintiff should not be granted.
Justice Nwite 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 subsequently adjourned the case till November 13 for the defendants to show cause, failing which he would proceed to hear the motion on notice.
Among the interim reliefs being sought in the motion on notice is “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 PDP to the All Progressives Congress (APC) or 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 is also seeking “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 years tenure as an elected deputy governor of Bayelsa State pending the hearing of the motion on notice.”
Ewhrudjakpo further wants “an order restraining the defendants from conducting any meeting, sitting, conference for the purpose of initiating or igniting impeachment proceedings against him as well as an order restraining the defendants from recognizing 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.”
The Bayelsa State governor, Duoye Diri, recently resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party, although his deputy who is now in court, failed to resign alongside him.