Federal High Court (FHC), Abuja, has ordered the embattled Speaker of Nasarawa State House of Assembly, Ibrahim Balarabe-Abdullahi, and his deputy, Jacob Ajegena, to obey the ex parte order earlier served them by the court or be jailed for contempt of court.
In Order 9 Rule 3 of the court entitled, ‘Consequences of Disobedience to Order of Court’, the court said it has handed down the notice to Balarabe-Abdullahi and Ajegena.
The order reads: “Unless you, Hon. Ibrahim Balerabe-Abdullahi and Hon. Kudu Ajegena Jacob, obey the direction contained in the order of the Federal High Court of Justice delivered on June 5, 2023, attached to this order, you will be guilty of contempt of court and be committed to prison.”
Ogazi and 12 other elected members of the Assembly had prayed the court to restrain Balarabe-Abdullahi and other 10 elected members from taking any step in furtherance of proceedings conducted by them on June 6, 2023 within or outside the Assembly.
The court granted the prayers and ordered Balarabe-Abdullahi to stop conducting proceedings outside Nasarawa Assembly complex purporting to be proceedings of the House, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.
It also compelled the factional speaker, Ogazi, to obey order of interim injunction restraining him and his 11 loyalists from parading themselves or acting in a manner to be recognised as speaker and deputy speaker of the Assembly, pending court ruling.
