Court Fines Embattled Ondo Deputy Gov Over Non Appearance Of Lawyer To Argue His Case 

The presiding judge of Ondo State High Court, sitting in Akure, Justice O. Akintan-Osadebay has awarded N200,000 against the embattled Deputy Governor of the state, Mr Lucky Aiyedatiwa.

This followed the failure of his lawyer to appear in Court to argue the motion to stop his impeachment.

Aiyedatiwa had filed a motion in the court restraining the Chief Judge of the state, Justice Olusegun Odusola and the House of Assembly from proceeding with his impeachment pending the hearing and determination of the appeal he filed against the judgement delivered by the Court dismissing his case.

Justice Akintan-Osadebay dismissed the suit, AK/348/2023, filed by the deputy governor for constituting an abuse of judicial process, given the earlier suit which he had filed at the Federal High Court, Abuja over the same impeachment.

Following the dismissal of the case, the deputy governor filed a Notice of Appeal together with an application that the court should restrain the House of Assembly and the Chief Judge from proceeding with the impeachment, pending the hearing and determination of his Appeal.

At the resumption of the matter, the counsel to the House of Assembly and the Chief Judge were in Court, but the Deputy Governor’s counsel was absent.

Counsel to the State House of Assembly, Femi Emodamori, informed the Court that the motion for injunction was adjourned yesterday based on the agreement of both parties.

Emodamori therefore wondered why the counsel to Aiyedatiwa was absent and did not deem it fit to write the court over his absence.

Justice Akintan-Osadebay, in his response, ordered the deputy governor to pay N50,000 each to the Speaker of the Assembly, Mr Olamide Oladiji; the House of Assembly, the Clerk to the House, Benjamin Jaiyola; and the Chief Judge, who were sued as the 3rd to 6th respondents respectively in the motion.

He adjourned the hearing of the motion till November 7, 2023.