By Ibrahim Abdul’Aziz
Yola
A Yola High Court presided over by the Acting Chief Judge of the state, Justice Ambrose Mammadi, yesterday dismissed an application filed by the House of Assembly to service Governor Murtala Nyako and his deputy impeachment notice for misconduct.
However, minutes after the ruling, some lawmakers defied the verdict, and in a special sitting presided by the deputy speaker, Hon Laori Kwamoti, ordered its clerk to go ahead and publish the said impeachment notice in two national dailies and the NTA.
Ruling on the application filed by the lawmakers, the state acting Judge, Justice Ambrose D. Mammadi, said “In view of the holding of Supreme Court judgement in the case of Inikojo vs Adeleke to which I am bound, I refuse to exercise my description to grant the application sought by the appellants.
“I hold that service of the notice of allegation against the respondents must be personal service. I resolved the issue for determination in the negative. I refused the application, and it’s accordingly dismissed.”
But in defiance with the ruling, nine members plus the deputy speaker who were initially on two weeks recess hurriedly met yesterday at a special session to adopt the rules and proceedings of the June 18, 2014, directing the clerk to serve the governor and his deputy with the impeachment notice.
The clerk, Mr Francis Gabsenso, had informed the House that he could not serve the governor and his deputy because they could not be located.
Reacting on this development, a former lawmaker Alhaji Umaru Mijinyawa Kugama describe the move by lawmakers to serve the governor and his deputy through media as ‘’contempt of court.
He said the action of the lawmakers is unconstitutional and they should not be allowed to go freely to serve as deterrence.