A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has ordered the Bayelsa State House of Assembly and others to halt further moves to impeach the Deputy Governor of the state, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, until the determination of a motion on notice filed over the matter.
Justice Emeka Nwite also directed the Speaker of the Bayelsa House of Assembly and five others to appear and show cause why they should not be stopped from making moves to impeach Deputy Governor Ewhrudjakpo,m over alleged misconduct relating to not defecting to another political party.
The judge gave the order on October 27 while ruling on an ex-parte motion marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2219/2025, filed by the Bayelsa State Deputy Governor against the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, the Speaker of the State Assembly, Inspector General of Police, Director, Department of State Services, Attorney General, the Chief Judge, and the Clerk of the Assembly.
Ewhrudjakpo had, in the motion filed on October 17, prayed the court for an order of interim injunction directing the defendants to appear and show cause why the prayers for interim injunction in the motion on notice pending before the court should not be granted against them, pending the hearing and determination of the aforesaid motion on notice.
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He also prayed for an order of court restraining the defendants from, “Removing or impeaching him as the Deputy Governor of Bayelsa state arid by disregarding the provision of Section 188(5), (6), (7)(a), (b), (8), (9) and (11) and Section 36(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) on the decision of the plaintiff not to defect/decamp from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) or any 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.”
Ewhrudjakpo also requested 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-year tenure as an elected Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, pending the hearing of the motion on notice.
Recall that the Bayelsa State Deputy Governor, Senator Ewhrudjakpo, had fallen out with his boss, Duoye Diri, after he refused to join him in resigning from the PDP.
Ewhrudjakpo, an influential government figure, had enjoyed a cordial working relationship with Diri throughout their first tenure and early part of the second term before the defection crisis.
There are indications that Diri is still hopeful that Ewhrudjakpo will change his mind and join him, hence the delay in announcing his new party since leaving the PDP.
