Justice Nafisat Lawal Musa of the State High Court Sitting in Jos, has reinstated Abok Ayuba as Speaker, Plateau House of Assembly.
Rt. Hon Ayuba was impeached on October 28, 2021 by members of the State Assembly.
Dissatisfied with the Process that led to the impeachment of Abok, two members of the house, Gwottson Fom, Member representing Jos South State constituency and Tyem Pirfa Jinfa, Member representing Langtang North North Constituency approached the court to seek redress.
The sought among other things, a declaration that the sitting of the Plateau State House of Assembly on Thursday the 28!h day of October, 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.
They claimant also asked the court to declare that the procedure adopted for the removal of the’ " Defendant (RI. Hon. Nuhu Abok Ayuba) was in violation of 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 202\ and therefore unconstitutional, null, void and of no effect.
Another relief sought by the claimants are that the removal of the 1" Defendant {Rt. Hon. Nuhu Abok Ayuba) as honourable Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly by the votes of less than Two thirds majority or 16 members ot the Plateau State House of Assembly was in violation of the provisions of section 92 (2) [c).
Counsel to the Claimant, Mr. Chuwang Isiah Paul said the the judge having considered all prayers of his clients and the facts that the defendants did not defend any of 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 Plateau state house of Assembly
The court granted that, the sum of 20 million naira be paid as exemplary damages to the claimants and went further to make a consequential order to the effect that all the emoluments , salaries, bonuses and allowances of the re-instated Speaker be paid him from from 28 of October 2021 till the day of the expiration of his term as the speaker of the Plateau state house of Assembly.
The Judgement also awarded the sum of N1.5M to be paid as the cost of appearance in favour of counsel to the claimant while another sum of N138, 350:00 is to be paid as cost for filling the suit.
Shortly after the Judgement was delivered, the reinstated speaker made an appearance at the Plateau state house of assembly complex.
The Speaker told Journalists that “We are here in 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, but today the court has given these terms against that illegality that was done,” he said.
The reinstated speaker said that by the grace of God, sitting would continue in the house peacefully, without any rancour.
Ayuba said that they would not fight anybody, adding that they were all members of the assembly and that all were Plateau people and also Nigerians.
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