Court Adjourns Impeached Kogi Deputy Governor’s Suit

A file photo of Kogi State Deputy Governor, Simon Achuba.

The State High Court sitting in Lokoja, Kogi State capital on Monday adjourned hearing in the application brought by Simon Achuba over his impeachment as the deputy governor of the state.

Achuba is seeking to join the Clerk of the State Assembly as a co-defendant and for hearing on the originating summon.

Justice Richard Olorunfemi adjourned till January 15th as date to rule on whether the Clerk has locus standi to be joined in the matter and for the commencement of the hearing on the originating summon.

It will be recalled that Achuba had challenged his impeachment by the Kogi State Assembly and sought for relief of the court to declare his impeachment as illegal and to be reinstated as the rightful deputy governor of the state.

In their submission, counsel to the impeached deputy governor, Jibrin Okutachi (SAN), in a 13-page counter affidavit, submitted that the court should discountenance the application by the Clerk, describing it as a breach of court order 11, rule 2, subsection 4, and section 115 subsection 4 of the evidence act.

Okutachi described the Clerk of the House as an interloper. He also described his application as a waste of the court’s time, geared towards irritating the claimant. He urged the trial judge to dismiss the application.

In reaction, counsel to the Clerk, Adetunde Oso described the Clerk as the custodian of record of the Assembly. He added that his seeking to be a party on the matter would help clear the air on the exhibits submitted by the claimant.

Justice Olorunfemi, in his ruling described the matter as one that is time bound, adding that he would ensure that the matter is dispensed with within the time frame.

He then adjourned the matter for ruling on the motion for joinder and hearing of the originating summons.