Court restrains Kogi governor, assembly from tampering with CJ

A High Court of Justice in Koton-Karfe, Kogi State, presided over by Justice Alaba Omolaye-Ajileye, has restrained the governor of the state, the state House of Assembly as well as their agents or proxies, from acting or interfering in any way detrimental to the interest of the state Chief Judge, Justice Nasir Ajanah, and the Chief […]

A High Court of Justice in Koton-Karfe, Kogi State, presided over by Justice Alaba Omolaye-Ajileye, has restrained the governor of the state, the state House of Assembly as well as their agents or proxies, from acting or interfering in any way detrimental to the interest of the state Chief Judge, Justice Nasir Ajanah, and the Chief Registrar, Yahaya Adamu, in their assigned duties pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice pending before the court.

The court also restrained the defendants from acting on or accepting, debating or taking cognisance, in any way, of the Report of an Adhoc Committee set by the House of Assembly to investigate an alleged “impasse” between the Judicial and Executive Arms of the Government of Kogi State.

These interim orders were made on Thursday consequent upon an ex-parte application brought before the court by Yemi Mohammed Esq., on behalf of the Chief Judge and Chief Registrar.

In the ex-parte application filed at the court by Yemi Mohammed, counsel to the two applicants, he sought the court’s urgent intervention through three prayers.

He requested for an interim injunction restraining the defendants from threatening or interfering in the discharge of the duties of the applicants.

He also urged the court to restrain the defendants from taking cognizance of any report emanating from the adhoc committee set up by the state assembly on 11th December 2018 pending the determination of the substantive suit.

He asked the court to also expedite action on the matter expeditiously through accelerated hearing.

Defendants in the matter are the Kogi State House of Assembly; its speaker, Mathew Kolawole; the chairman of the adhoc committee, Hassan Abdullahi; the governor and the Attorney-General of the state.

Delivering ruling on the application, Justice Omolaye-Ajileye held that on the strength of the facts contained in the affidavit in support of the motion and the attached documents, he was of the firm view that an urgent intervention of the court was required “to maintain the status quo ante bellum between the parties, lest the claimants/applicants be clogged with a fait accompli.”

He ordered that all the processes of the action be served on all the parties and adjourned the case to Tuesday, 18th December, 2018 for the hearing of the substantive motion.