Key Highlights
- Court reinstates impeached plateau house of assembly speaker.
- He was impeached by the state house in October 2021, following allegations of corruption.
- However, in a judgment today, the court held that the procedure adopted for his impeachment was illegal.
A Plateau High Court sitting in Jos has reinstated the impeached plateau house of assembly speaker, Abok Ayuba.
Justice Nefisa Musa reinstated him on Monday while delivering judgment on a suit filed by the speaker challenging his impeachment.
He was impeached on October 28, 2021, by members of the State house of Assembly.
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The court’s judgment
Justice Nefisa Musa in her judgment, held that the procedure adopted by the state assembly for the removal of the plaintiff was illegal.
Consequently, she made an order reinstating Ayuba as the plateau state speaker.
The impeachment
In 2021, A group of youths petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), accusing Nuhu of financial misappropriation.
The group, which alleged that Ayuba had been abusing his office as a speaker, had asked him to step down from his position, pending the completion of the EFCC investigation.
Following the petition, Ayuba was impeached by eight members of the legislative arm of government.
He was impeached during plenary on October 28, 2021, and was replaced with Sanda Yakubu, from the Pingana constituency of Bassa Local Government Area of the state.
Yakubu was subsequently presented to the governor as the new speaker of the state assembly.
Aggrieved by the decision, Ayuba approached the court challenging his impeachment.
He argued that his impeachment contravened the rules of the assembly.
Reaction after the court judgment
Following the court’s verdict, Ayuba headed to the assembly complex from the court premises.
He expressed gratitude to the people of the state and said he was ready to work with the executive.
“I and my honorable colleagues, today we give God the glory once again for this victory for democracy in Nigeria once again.
“We are here on the premises of the House of Assembly because all of us were elected to represent our various constituencies.
“We still have some months left for us to continue the assignment that was duly given to us by our various constituencies.
“Even though there was crisis sometimes ago, today the court has given these terms against that illegality that was done,”
“I’m ready to work with the executive, we have never in any way said that I would never want to continue to work with them.
“That is the only thing that will give us peace in this state.
“Anybody that was in court today knows that the court has defined everything about the purported impeachment,” Ayuba said.
