The Deputy Governor of Ondo State, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, informed the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday that he was withdrawing the lawsuit aimed at preventing his impeachment by the Ondo State House of Assembly.
Other defendants in the suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1294/2023, included the Governor of Ondo State, the Speaker of the House of Assembly, the Chief Judge of Ondo State, the House of Assembly, the Inspector-General of Police, and the Department of State Services.
At the Monday hearing, Aiyedatiwa’s lawyer, Mr Ebun-olu Adegboruwa (SAN), told the court that the deputy governor wished to withdraw the suit following the intervention of the leadership of the All Progressives Congress in the matter. The SAN noted that the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Abdullahi Ganduje, had set up a reconciliation committee on October 6 to mediate the dispute between some of the parties to the suit.
Adegboruwa said going ahead with the court proceedings could frustrate the reconciliation efforts by the APC leadership. He also pointed out that the Ondo State House of Assembly wrote a petition to the National Judicial Council on October 3, 2023, against the presiding judge, Justice Emeka Nwite. He urged the court to wait for the decision of the NJC on the petition before going ahead with the matter.
However, counsel for the Ondo State Governor, Kazeem Gbadamosi (SAN), and that of the Chief Judge of Ondo State, Mutalib Ojo (SAN), opposed Adegboruwa and urged the court to go ahead with the case. In his submission, counsel for the Assembly, Femi Emodamori, said the Ondo Assembly had already withdrawn the petition against the judge. Justice Nwite adjourned till October 6 for ruling.
Aiyedatiwa had in the suit sought an order of interim injunction restraining Akeredolu, his servants, or privies from harassing, intimidating, embarrassing, and preventing him from carrying out the functions of his office as deputy governor of Ondo State. The court had granted his prayers and adjourned the matter till Monday to hear the substantive matter.
