Court Halts Impeachment Move Against Niger Deputy Gov

A Niger State High
Court in Minna, has restrained the State House of Assembly and its officials from commencing any impeachment proceedings against the Deputy Governor, Ahmed Ibeto.
Justice Aliyu Mayaki made the order last Monday in an exparte application filed by Ibeto.
The court’s order also restrained the Speaker and the Clerk of the House of Assembly from embarking on the impeachment proceedings.
Other defendants in the suit bound by the court’s order are the Attorney General of the state, the Chief Judge, the state Commissioner of Police, Director, department of State Services in Niger State, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Ibeto had in a suit he filed sought an order voiding the letter of hand-over given the Speaker by the governor to act in his absence and the alleged plot by the state Governor, Aliyu Babangida to impeach him.
There were allegations of impeachment move against the deputy governor by the state House of Assembly following his recent defection from the PDP to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The state governor had also recently handed over the affairs of the state to the Speaker of the House of Assembly during his absence while on hajj.
Justice Mayaki granted all the six prayers in the exparte motion filed by Ibeto and also restrained the defendants and from “tempering, violating, withdrawing the rights and privileges of the plaintiff’s office”.
The judge specifically restrained the Speaker, House of Assembly and the Clerk, who are 4th , 7th and 8th defendants, respectively, from conducting any proceedings in the House’s Chambers with the aim of impeaching the plaintiff.
He also restrained the three defendants and their agents “from accepting any nomination of any purported candidate from the governor of Niger State, for the position of the deputy governor of Niger State”.
All the interim orders are to subsist pending the determination of the substantive suit initiated via originating summons.
The deputy governor, in a supporting affidavit, stated that the governor, having walked him out of the Executive Council Meeting on February 11, has allegedly taken steps to prevent him from functioning in his capacity as the deputy governor, and even threatened to  influence his impeachment.