Contempt: Ozekhome takes over Ekiti Speaker’s case

A Federal High Court sitting in Ado Ekiti has adjourned to December 7, the contempt charge brought before it against the Speaker of Ekiti State House of Assembly, Pastor Kola Oluwawole, by Mr Toyin Obayemi.

This was just as counsel for Obayemi in the matter, Mr Olayinka Sokoya, notified the court, presided over by Justice Taiwo Taiwo, on Tuesday that Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN) had written to take over the prosecution of the matter.

Justice Taiwo had insisted during Tuesday’s hearing that Oluwawole must appear before it on December 7 to answer contempt charges brought against him for allegedly not obeying an order he granted on July 4 to swear in Obayemi as the lawmaker representing Ado Ekiti Constituency I.

He said the court record showed that Oluwawole had been served Form 49, a notice of why he (Oluwawole) should not be committed to prison for disobeying the order of the court.

Sokoya had told the court that he received a letter from the law chambers of  Chief Ozekhome (SAN), dated November 18, a day after the last day of sitting.

According to Sokoya, Ozekhome was seeking to take over the defence of Oluwawole, praying the court for an adjournment of the case.

Obayemi is pressing a contempt charge against Oluwawole for refusing to swear him in as a member of the state House of Assembly to replace Mr Musa Arogundade, who was removed by a judgement of Justice Taiwo.

The court nullified Arogundade’s election and ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to issue Obayemi a Certificate of Return, holding that the latter was not validly nominated by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the April 11, 2015 House of Assembly election.

The court had also held that Arogundade was never qualified to stand as a candidate at the poll on grounds that he fraudulently obtained an Abuja Federal High Court order to validate his candidacy.