The move by the Ondo State Deputy Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, to stop his impeachment process initiated by the State House of Assembly suffered a setback yesterday as an Akure High Court struck out a suit he filed.
The suit was instituted by the Deputy Governor challenging the move by the State House of Assembly to impeach him.
In the ruling delivered by Justice Oluyemi Akintan-Osadebay, the court declined jurisdiction to avoid conflicting verdict with an Abuja Federal High Court.
Justice Akintan-Osadebey ruled that it was a gross abuse of court process to engage in “forum shopping” by instituting same case in Akure and Abuja High Court.
Aiyedatiwa had approached the court in a suit AK/348/2023 filed on September 25, 2023, to stop the House of Assembly from impeaching him.
He also filed another at the Abuja Federal High Court where he secured an interim injunction restraining the House from impeaching him over alleged gross misconduct.
The interim injunction was granted by Justice Emeka Nwite on September 26.
At the hearing of the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1294/2023 on Monday, the Judge didn’t renew the interim injunction granted on September 26.
Counsel to the House of Assembly, Femi Emodamori, confirmed that the interim injunction expired on October 10.
Emodamori noted that the Chief Judge of Ondo State, Justice Olusegun Odusola, can now go ahead and set up the panel as directed by the House of Assembly.