Aliyu gets court injunction to stop impeachment

Wades into Niger Assembly leadership crisis

IN A swift move to stop his impeachment, Niger State Governor Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu in Minna secured a court interim injunction restraining the members of the state House of Assembly from setting in motion any process of impeachment against him.

This is coming barely two days after the state house of assembly impeached the Speaker Adamu Usman over alleged romance with the governor and his inability to ensure the payment of their salaries and allowances since February this year.

Following the sack of the house leadership on Tuesday by the members, the governor became apprehensive of a possible impeachment move against him, hence his decision to head rush to court to take refuge by seeking an injunction an order of interim injunction restraining the house from setting in motion any process of impeaching him.

The governor in the last two day has become apprehensive over his continues stay in power till the handing over date of May, 29 due to the crisis in the house when on Tuesday, the former speaker of the State House of Assembly Adamu Usman was impeached and Isa kawu who is believed to be one of the most uncompromising and upright member was announced as the new speaker.

The development gave room to speculations that the governor might be the next target of the house that has accused the governor of sitting on their salaries and allowances since February this year, a development that has grounded the legislative activities in the house.

It was however, gathered that the governor secured the court injunction on Wednesday evening at about 6:30pm after a peace meeting at his instance between him and the new leadership of the house ended up in a deadlock.

The order reads in part, “that the interim injunction is hereby ordered restraining the defendants jointly and severally from setting in motion any process of impeachment of the applicant (Governor) pending the hearing and determination of motion on notice.

“It is also ordered in the interim that the defendants are restrained jointly and severally from impeachment or initiating impeachment proceedings against the plaintiff (Governor) pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.

“It is further ordered that two defendants, whether by themselves or their servants, agents, privies, assigns, success ore or otherwise howsoever described, restrained from accepting any nomination of any purported candidate for the position of the acting governor of Niger state or howsoever described from assuming the plaintiffs’ position pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice,” it added.

The court has therefore, fixed May 27, 2015 for hearing on the motion on notice. This court injunction is coming on the heels of his intervention in the leadership crisis that has engulfed the state house of assembly which led to the impeachment of it speaker, Barrister Adamu Usman on Tuesday.

Shortly after the new leadership of the house, led by the speaker, Isah Kawu were prevented from gaining entrance into the house and tear gas in the process by the Police, the Governor was said to have sent the Secretary to the state government, Hon. Idris Ndako Kpaki and the Commissioner for Local government, Community Development and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mallam Yusuf Garba Tagwai for a meeting with the aggrieved members. T

he Governor’s delegation was said to have met with the members at their official quarters where they had retreated to after they were tear gas from the complex. After about 30 minutes, the meeting was shifted from the Legislators quarters to the Governor’s residence at the instances of the Governor.

Although no details on the out come of the meeting, which lasted about three hours, it was gathered from a source closed to the meeting that the Governor had pleaded to the law makers to revert back to status quo and allow the impeached speaker return to his seat.

It was gathered that the lawmakers told the governor that the impeachment of the speaker was an internally issue between the legislators and pleaded with the governor not meddle into their internal affair even as they (Legislators) thanked the governor for the concern he has shown.

Shortly after the Legislators left the governor’s house, they went into a closed door meeting which started at 1:00pm and was still going on as at the time of filing this reports.