The Deputy Governor of Ondo State, Agboola Ajayi, has filed a suit against no fewer than 26 lawmakers of the state House of Assembly for contempt following moves to impeach him.
In the suit filed on Friday, Ajayi asked the Federal High Court in Akure to jail the 26 members for “deliberately plotting and executing plans to impeach him” despite his suit filed at the Abuja division of the court challenging the impeachment process.
He also demanded that the court set aside all the actions taken by the lawmakers, including the impeachment notice issued against him on July 7, 2020, since he filed his suit on June 26, 2020.
The suit filed by Ajayi reads thus in part; “On July 7, 2020, at the sitting of the Ondo State House of Assembly, the alleged contemners issued an impeachment notice against me, despite the pendency of suit no FHC/ABJ/CS/684/2020 and have vowed to continue with the illegality.
“Copies of newspaper reportage of the illegality of issuance of the notice are hereto attached and marked as Exhibit DG4.
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“I verily believe that the action/conduct of the alleged contemners is to foist a fait accompli on the court, to render the outcome of suit no FHC/ABJ/CS/684/2020 nugatory and bring the court to disrepute.
Ajayi also among others sought, “An order of this honourable court committing the 1st to 26th alleged contemners (the 26 lawmakers) to prison for a term of 1 (one) year or as the court may otherwise determine for the reason of the criminal contempt committed by the alleged contemner by deliberately plotting and executing plans to impeach the applicant despite the pendency of suit no FHC/ABJ/CS/684/2020 and despite having notice of the said suit.”
This came after the Ondo State Chief Judge, Justice Oluwatoyin Akeredolu, was called upon to set up a panel to investigate the allegations levelled against embattled deputy governor, Mr Agboola Ajayi.
The CJ however refused the request of the lawmakers, as he stated that Ajayi’s lawyer had also written to his office, claiming that the number of lawmakers who signed the impeachment notice did not meet the required number.
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