Tag: ONDO

Ondo Speaker Hon Olamide Oladiji has dragged Justice Emeka Nwite before the National Judicial Council (NJC) over the ex-parte motion granted to Deputy Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa.

Justice Nwite, on September 26, restrained the Assembly from impeaching Aiyedatiwa.

But the Speaker described the ex-parte granted Aiyedatiwa as “unconstitutional and clearly malevolent”

Speaker Oladiji, in the petition accused Justice Nwite of compromising his office and violating the country’s constitution.

Oladiji said impeachment was a purely a legislative affair.

He called for Justice Nwite to be investigated for “abuse of ex parte injunction and/or his office to gratify the Ondo State Deputy-Governor, and if found liable, the National Judicial Council should mete out the appropriate sanction against him as required by the dictates of judicial fidelity and the protection of the rule of law and our nascent democracy.”

According to the petition, “As the Speaker of the 10th Ondo State House of Assembly, and on behalf of the entire members of the House of Assembly (hereinafter referred to as “ODHA”), I write your lordship to formally lodge a complaint against Hon. Justice Emeka Nwite of the Abuja Judicial Division of the Federal High Court, for compromising his office and violating the extant provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), ignoring judicial decisions of the appellate courts and extant Practice Directions and/or relevant Circulars of the Federal High Court, to grant an unconstitutional, clearly malevolent, and ostensibly procured ex parte order on 26th September, 2023 in Suit FHC/ABJ/CS/1294/2023 restraining ODHA as an arm of government from exercising its constitutional powers.”

“On September 2023, Eleven (11) members of the Ondo State Assembly presented a notice of allegation(s) of gross misconduct (impeachment notice) against the Deputy-Governor of Ondo State, His Excellency, Hon. Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa to me as the Speaker, in line with Section 188(2) (a) & (b) of the Constitution.

“As your lordship would observe, annexure ODHA contains 14 allegations, many of which relate to alleged financial improprieties running into hundreds of millions of naira.”

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“Section 188 (10) of the Constitution clearly provides that: “No proceedings or determination of the House of Assembly or an Impeachment Panel or any matter relating to such proceedings or

determination shall be entertained or questioned in any court.”

“However, in spite of the above provisions of the Constitution, the

Deputy-Governor approached Justice Emeka Nwite with an ex parte application on 21st September, 2023, to procure an order to stop the legislative process of his impeachment.

“My lord, as a Judge of the Federal High Court, Hon. Justice Emeka Nwite knows or ought to know that there are extant Circulars and Practice Directions prohibiting Federal High Court Judges from granting ex parte injunctions in political cases and/or taking cases that did not originate from their immediate Judicial Divisions.”

Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers have abducted 25 members of the Christ Apostolic Church, Oke Igan, Akure, the state capital. 

The CAC members were kidnapped around 3pm on Friday while traveling to Ifon for a burial ceremony. 

One of the church members, who pleaded anonymity, said the bus conveying the kidnapped choir members was abandoned by the roadside.

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A woman said two of her family members were among the kidnapped church members. 

Ondo Police spokesman, SP Funmilayo Odunlami-Omisanya could not be reached for comments.

A mother of three, Tayelolu Solomon, is currently on the run after using a pestle to kill her 65-year-old husband identified as Felix Solomon.

The woman was said to have killed her husband while he was asleep at their GRA residence in Ondo town.

One of their son, Ibukun, who witnessed the killing, said their parents have been having issues, saying that his mother used to threaten to kill their father.

He said: “My mother killed my father with a pestle in my presence and took to her heels. She used the pestle to hit his head when he was asleep.

“On that day, a minor argument ensued between them that resulted to a fight. After the fight, my father went to lie on the chair and my mother hit his head with the pestle.

 “He became unconscious in the process and fell down from where he was sleeping. My mother used the pestle to hit my father’s head three times and he later died.

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“When my mother saw that my father was already unconscious, she hid the pestle at the back of our house and ran away.

” I alerted some of the residents, who rushed my father to the hospital. But he later died. His corpse has been deposited at the morgue.

“My mother had three children for my father and I’m the last child.”

A family member who pleaded anonymity said they have been making efforts to settle the incessant fight between the couple before the killing.

He said: “The woman had been threatening to kill her husband whenever they were fighting. And the deceased informed us about the threats. But we never knew she would carry out the act.

“But this time, she took laws into her hands and killed our brother for nothing. She must be arrested and prosecuted accordingly.”

Police sources said efforts were on to arrest the suspect.

The Ondo Police spokesman, SP Funmilayo Odunlami-Omisanya could not be reached for comments.

Hundreds of youths from across the three senatorial districts in Ondo have urged the state House of Assembly to continue its impeachment proceedings against the deputy governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa.

The protesting youths said it was wrong for the deputy governor to turn the state into a theatre of war because he was under investigation.

They protested through the streets of Akure to the premises of the Assembly

The leader of the protesters, Ojo Bright, urged the lawmakers to do the needful if Aiyedatiwa is found guilty.

Ojo said the state House of Assembly should be allowed to carry out its constitutional duties unhindered and un-maligned by any set of people.

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He said: “The Deputy Governor has waged media war against the people of the state. We are aware that the Deputy Governor who is now embattled has been duly served a letter on account of gross misconduct.

“This is the people’s parliament. This parliament belongs to the people of Ondo State. It does not belong to Lucky Aiyedatiwa. The parliament has the backing of the people to carry out its constitutional functions. The democratic system should be maintained and nobody can stop law and order in our State.

“It is an act of tyranny for the Deputy Governor to think he can turn the state into a theatre of war because he is being investigated.

“Our stand is that if the Deputy Governor is found guilty of the allegations levelled against him, the Assembly should do the needful.”