JUSTICE Nafisat Lawal Musa of the Plateau State High Court on Monday, reinstated Abok Ayuba as the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, more than 18 months after he was removed.
Ayuba, who represents the Jos East constituency was impeached on October 28, 2021, by some members of the state assembly in controversial circumstances and replaced by another lawmaker, Yakubu Sanda, who represents the Pengana state constituency
Dissatisfied with the process that led to the impeachment of Abok, two members of the House, Gwottson Fom, representing Jos South State constituency and Tyem Pirfa Jinfa, representing Langtang North North Constituency approached the court for redress.
They sought among other things, a declaration that the sitting of the Plateau State House of Assembly on Thursday, October 28, 2021, between the hours of 6 am and 7 am is un-parliamentary and in violation of the provision of Order 6 Rule of the Plateau State House of Assembly Rules 2021 and therefore unlawful, null and void.
The claimants also asked the court to declare that the procedure adopted for the removal of the “Defendant (Nuhu Abok Ayuba) violated the provisions of section 92 (2) (c) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as altered and Order 7 Rule 4 of the Plateau State House of Assembly Rules 2021 and therefore unconstitutional, null, void and of no effect.
Another relief sought by the claimants is the removal of the Defendant (Nuhu Abok Ayuba) as Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly by the votes of less than two-thirds majority or 16 members of the Assembly violated the provisions of section 92 (2) (c).
Counsel to the Claimants, Mr Chuwang Isiah Paul, said the judge has considered all prayers of his clients and the facts that the defendants did not defend any of the reliefs sought or file anything to show that they intend to defend the suit granted all the 10 reliefs sought by the claimants.
In delivering her Judgement, Justice Musa, reinstated Abok Ayuba as the speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly while granting an injunction restraining the current speaker, Yakubu Sanda, from parading himself as the Speaker of the Assembly
