Court restrains Benue State House of Assembly’s new leadership from sitting Another adjourns to Aug. 20 for further hearing in Madumere’s suit
AMAKURDI High Court presided over by Justice Theresa Igoche has restrained the new leadership of Benue State House of Assembly headed Speaker Titus Uba from conducting sittings.
Justice Igoche ruled while entertaining an ex-parte motion filed by Terkimbi Ikyange and four others against Uba and the other five presiding officers of the Assembly.
She also restrained the affected persons from carrying out any function(s) of the legislature pending the hearing and determination of the motions on notice.
The court equally ordered Uba and his co-travellers from entering and occupying the offices of the first to fifth applicants as well as those of the first to fourth plaintiffs.
The presiding judge upon hearing from Chief M. M. Osuman (SAN) for the applicants, ruled: “I have read the motion No. MHC/1694M/18 filed on August 10, 2018 together with the other process accompanying it. Particularly, I have looked at paragraphs 22-34 of the affidavit in support and paragraphs five to13 of the affidavit of urgency.
“This court takes judicial notice of the order of interim injunction made against the plaintiffs/ applicants on August 1, 2018 in suit No. MHC/259/18.
“It is necessary for the purpose of averting any danger that may be caused and to avoid any breach of the peace, that this application be granted so that the members of the Benue State House of Assembly will not sit in the fifth plaintiff/applicant(s) complex until the motion on notice is heard and determined.”
In a related development, an Owerri High Court yesterday adjourned to August 20, 2018 for further proceedings in the case brought before it by Eze Madumere challenging his removal from office as deputy governor by the Imo State House of Assembly. Justice Ben Iheka adjourned to the said date after hearing from the lead counsel to Madumere, Ken Njemanze, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), and the Attorney General and Imo State Commissioner for Justice, Miletus Nlemadim, that some of the respondents were yet to be served the restraining order to halt the removal proceedings against the applicant.
The judge said the adjourned date was to enable the parties involved in the case be served appropriately.
NIGERIANS have been charged to desist from choosing leaders based on tribal, religious or party sentiments, but rather vote for leaders with integrity, ideas and plans that would guarantee a better Nigeria.
They also intensified the call for the extension of the August 17, 2018 closure date for voter’s registration by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which they insist, could disenfranchise millions of Nigerians if not reversed.
A young presidential aspirant, Mr. Eniola Ojajuni, who spoke with
yesterday, said lack of ideas and integrity among political office holders was largely responsible for under-development across the country.
According to him, the old power bloc have failed the citizens, hence the need for Nigerians to give the youths opportunity to rebuild the nation.
He said: “The Nigerian youths at this critical time of our nationhood have for the first time decided to challenge the and raise a voice against the epileptic leadership that has been witnessed over the years. The nation urgently needs to be purged of corrupted old hands, and replaced with vibrant ones with integrity.
“This is our best chance to come together as civil socie- ty organisations, youth groups, students and other stakeholders in the new Nigerian dream to end the era of leadership recycling in the country that has been responsible for our stunted growth and development. The only way we can do that is to go out
to register and ensure collection of our Permanent Voter’s Cards (PVCS), which is our power to decide.”
Also, former Chairman of Amuwo-odofin Local Council of Lagos State, Mr. Ayodele Adewale, has reiterated that the future of the country is dependent on the outcome of the 2019 general elections, hence the urgent need for INEC to extend the registration exercise to ensure majority of Nigerians are not disenfranchised.
He urged INEC to deploy more sophisticated technology and people with capacity to registration process.
“I beckon on INEC to elongate the date for registration because a lot of Nigerians are yet to be registered,” he said.
In the same vein, Convener, Youth Take Over Movement and G-37 Coalition, Gabriel Ashibi, charged the electoral body to build and regain the confidence of Nigerians by extending the voter’s registration, which he said, was an assurance to a better Nigeria.