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The High Court of Kogi State in Lokoja on Tuesday re-affirmed its December 12, 2018 order restraining the state’s House of Assembly from going on with its probe alleged to be targeted against the Chief Judge of the State, Justice Nasir Ajanah.
Justice Ajanah and the Chief Registrar of the High Court of the state, Alhaji Yahya Adamu, are the plaintiffs in the case.
The plaintiffs believe that the probe being carried out by the House of Assembly under the guise of looking into an alleged “impasse” between the state government’s judicial and executive arms was designed by Governor Yaya Bello as a tool to remove the Chief Judge from office.
A copy of the December 12, 2018 ruling, which ordered the House of Assembly to suspend the probe, was sighted by our correspondent on Tuesday.
The document showed that Justice Alaba Omolaye-Ajileye made the ex parte order of interim injunction restraining the House of Assembly, its speaker and the House’s ad hoc committee carrying out the probe “from acting on or accepting, debating or taking cognisance, in any way, of the report of the Ad Hoc Committee”.
The judge had restrained the three respondents from taking any step in respect of the probe “pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice dated December 12, 2018”.
At the resumed hearing in the case on Tuesday (December 12), the plaintiff’s lawyer, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), informed the judge that he was ready for the hearing of the motion on notice requesting that the restraining order be made to last throughout the time the court would conclude and determine the entire case of the plaintiff.
Responding, counsel for the defendants, Mr. Rotimi Oguneso (SAN), confirmed that he had been served with the plaintiffs’ motion but said he was still within time to respond to it.
While seeking an adjournment of the case, he gave an indication of the interest of his clients to have the case amicably settled out of court.
Awomolo said he, a lawyer in the suit was not aware of any plan for an out-of-court settlement but that he would not oppose to such.
The judge subsequently adjourned the case till February 4, 2019, with a directive that “the ex parte order of December 13, 2018, is extended till the next adjourned date”.
Justice Ajanah and the Chief Registrar of the High Court of the state, Alhaji Yahya Adamu, are the plaintiffs in the case.
The plaintiffs believe that the probe being carried out by the House of Assembly under the guise of looking into an alleged “impasse” between the state government’s judicial and executive arms was designed by Governor Yaya Bello as a tool to remove the Chief Judge from office.
A copy of the December 12, 2018 ruling, which ordered the House of Assembly to suspend the probe, was sighted by our correspondent on Tuesday.
The document showed that Justice Alaba Omolaye-Ajileye made the ex parte order of interim injunction restraining the House of Assembly, its speaker and the House’s ad hoc committee carrying out the probe “from acting on or accepting, debating or taking cognisance, in any way, of the report of the Ad Hoc Committee”.
The judge had restrained the three respondents from taking any step in respect of the probe “pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice dated December 12, 2018”.
At the resumed hearing in the case on Tuesday (December 12), the plaintiff’s lawyer, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), informed the judge that he was ready for the hearing of the motion on notice requesting that the restraining order be made to last throughout the time the court would conclude and determine the entire case of the plaintiff.
Responding, counsel for the defendants, Mr. Rotimi Oguneso (SAN), confirmed that he had been served with the plaintiffs’ motion but said he was still within time to respond to it.
While seeking an adjournment of the case, he gave an indication of the interest of his clients to have the case amicably settled out of court.
Awomolo said he, a lawyer in the suit was not aware of any plan for an out-of-court settlement but that he would not oppose to such.
The judge subsequently adjourned the case till February 4, 2019, with a directive that “the ex parte order of December 13, 2018, is extended till the next adjourned date”.
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