Impeachment: Court fines Ondo deputy gov over absence of counsel

The Ondo State High Court sitting in Akure, Ondo state capital, on Tuesday, imposed a total fine of N200,000 on the Ondo Deputy Governor, Lucky Ayedatiwa due to the absence of his legal counsel in court.

The legal counsel representing Ayedatiwa failed to appear before the court to argue a motion he had filed. This motion was aimed at restraining the State Chief Judge and the House of Assembly from proceeding with the impeachment process of the deputy governor. This action was intended to be in effect pending the hearing and determination of the appeal filed by Ayedatiwa against the court’s judgment delivered on the 10th of October, 2023.

It will be recalled that Justice Akintan-Osadebay had earlier dismissed the suit AK/348/2023 filed in that Court by the deputy governor, for constituting an abuse of judicial process, in view of the earlier suit which he had filed at the Federal High Court, Abuja over the same impeachment.

Following the dismissal of the case, the deputy governor had filed a Notice of Appeal together with an application that the Court should restrain the House of Assembly and the State Chief Judge from proceeding with the impeachment, pending the hearing and determination of his Appeal.

However, when the case was called on Tuesday, Counsel to the State House of Assembly and the State Chief Judge were in Court, but the Counsel for the Deputy-Governor was absent.

Counsel to the State House of Assembly, A. S Subair of Femi Emmanuel Emodamori & Co, informed the court that the motion for injunction was adjourned based on the agreement between both parties

Emodamori said there is no justification for the Counsel to Aiyedatiwa to absent from the court without writing to the Court to inform about his absence.

The Judge however, adjourned the hearing of the motion till November 7, 2023 and awarded N200,000 as cost against Aiyedatiwa for wasting the time of the Court and the other parties.

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