Bayelsa Deputy Governor drags State Assembly, IGP, Others to Court over alleged impeachment plot

The Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, has taken the state’s House of Assembly, its Speaker, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), and several others to court over an alleged plan to impeach him.

In a suit filed before the Federal High Court in Abuja by his lawyer, Reuben Egwuaba, Ewhrudjakpo claimed that members of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly were under pressure to remove him from office for refusing to defect from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) like Governor Douye Diri, who recently resigned from the party.

The Deputy Governor further alleged that some local government chairmen, including the Chairman of Sagbama Local Government Area, Alice Tange, were also being threatened with removal for not joining the governor in leaving the PDP.

After hearing from Ewhrudjakpo’s counsel, Justice Emeka Nwite ordered all the defendants to appear in court to explain why the interim injunction sought by the Deputy Governor should not be granted.

The defendants named in the suit include the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, its Speaker, the IGP, the Director General of the State Security Service (SSS), the Attorney General of Bayelsa State, the Chief Judge of the state, and the Clerk of the Assembly.

Justice Nwite ruled that justice would be best served by requiring the defendants to appear and show cause before any interim order is made.

The case was adjourned to November 13, when the defendants are expected to present their arguments; failure to do so would prompt the court to proceed with the motion on notice.

In his motion, Ewhrudjakpo is seeking an order stopping the defendants from impeaching him for refusing to defect from the PDP to the All Progressives Congress (APC) or any other party before the end of his tenure.

He is also asking the court to restrain them from initiating or conducting any impeachment proceedings against him, or from recognizing any APC member as the Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State.

Additionally, Ewhrudjakpo requested an order preventing the IGP, the SSS Director General, and the Bayelsa State Attorney General from withdrawing his security protection pending the hearing of the motion on notice.

Very Nigerian reports that Governor Douye Diri recently left the PDP, but his deputy, Ewhrudjakpo, has maintained his membership in the party, a decision believed to have triggered the current crisis.

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