Ondo assembly petitions NJC against judge who gave order stopping impeachment of deputy governor

The Ondo house of assembly has written a petition against Emeka Nwite, a federal high court judge, who gave an order stopping the impeachment of Lucky Aiyedatiwa, deputy governor of the state.

In the ex parte order granted on September 26, Nwite restrained Rotimi Akeredolu, governor of Ondo governor, from nominating a new deputy.

In the petition dated October 3 and addressed to the chairman of the National Judicial Council (NJC), Olamide Oladiji, the speaker of the Ondo assembly, said Nwite violated the provisions of the constitution when he gave the order.

“I write your lordship to formally lodge a complaint against Hon. Justice Emeka Nwite of the Abuja judicial division of the federal high court, for compromising his office and violating the extant provisions of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended),” the petition reads.

The speaker added that the judge “ignored judicial decisions of the appellate courts and extant practice directions and/or relevant circulars of the federal high court, to grant an unconstitutional, clearly malevolent, and ostensibly procured ex parte order on 26th September 2023 in Suit FHC/ABJ/CS/1294/2023 restraining ODHA as an arm of government from exercising its constitutional powers”.

The deputy governor who has already been served an impeachment notice is facing an allegation of abuse of office.

Aiyedatiwa was in charge of the state’s affairs when Akeredolu travelled to Germany on a three-month medical leave.

Four days after his return to Nigeria, Akeredolu sacked the media aides attached to the office of the deputy governor.