*Justice lampoons state House of Assembly, as Chief Judge exonerates self

By Boluwaji Obahopo

A High Court sitting in Lokoja, Kogi State, on Thursday, declared the impeachment of the former deputy governor, Simon Achuba, unconstitutional, null and void.

Justice John Olorunfemi, in a judgement delivered at a Kogi High Court 4, declared the decision of the state House of Assembly to proceed with the impeachment last October as an act of “legislative rascality devoid of reasoning.”

Olorunfemi said he could not understand why the legislators, whose responsibility is to make laws for the state, turned out to be lawbreakers choosing to proceed with the purported impeachment even when the seven-man committee set out by the Chief Judge of the state to investigate allegations of gross misconduct against the deputy governor have declared him not guilty.

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

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He said 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 “not guilty verdict” of the seven-man committee set up to investigate the deputy governor.

Olorunfemi also ordered that all the relieves sought by the claimant be granted without further delay, including payment of N305 million.

Reacting to the judgement, counsel to Simon Achuba, Ojonimi Apeh, who represented Jibrin Okutepa(SAN) described the court’s decision as a victory for democracy and rule of law.

Chief Judge’s reaction

Also speaking on the court’s decision, Yemi Mohammed, who represented the Chief Judge of Kogi State, Nasir Ajana, commended the judge for the well-researched judgement but absorbed his client from all blame.

He said that Justice Nasir Ajana only discharged his administrative duty as there was no court injunction that a new deputy governor should not be sworn in at that time.