Court to hear Ondo Chief judge’s suit against Gov Akeredolu, others, March 11

A Federal High Court sitting Abuja, on Friday, slated March 11, 2021, for hearing in the suit filed by the Chief Judge of Ondo State, Justice Oluwatoyin Akerdeolu, over an alleged plot by the Ondo State Governor and the state’s House of Assembly to remove her from office.

Justice Akeredolu, in the suit, marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/2016/2021 claimed among others that the Ondo State governor and the State House of Assembly are plotting his removal under the pretext of investigating the allegations made in a viral video by Olupelumi Fagboyegun, alleging that the Chief Judge influenced his detention for about three years.

The suit has the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), the National Judicial Council (NJC), Ondo State Governor, Ondo State Attorney General (AG), the state’s House of Assembly and the Inspector General of Police (IGP) as defendants.

When the case was mentioned, on Friday, the plaintiff’s Counsel, Jibrin Okutepa (SAN) informed the court that all the defendants have been served with the originating process within three days in line with the order made by the court on February 25, 2021, and expressed his readiness for the hearing of a motion on notice already filed by the plaintiff.

Counsel to the AGF, T. A. Uchegbu, who acknowledged service, said she came in contact with the case file in her office the previous day (March 4, 2021) and prayed the court for an adjournment to enable her office to respond to the applications served on it.

Beside the AGF, none of the other respondents were represented in court, on Friday and did file any reply to the suit.

In a ruling, Justice Inyang Ekwo cautioned against delay in the case, noting that, “upon perusing the proof of service in the court’s file, I observe that all the defendants have been served.

“The first defendant is in court, but has not filed anything and the second to sixth defendants are not in court and have not filed anything. The adjournment is at the instance of the defendants,” he said.

The court had, in an ex-parte ruling, on February 25, 2021, restrained the Ondo State governor and defendants in the case from taking any further steps in relation to the alleged probe of the state’s Chief Judge, Justice Akeredolu, over the viral video alleged to have been made by Fagboyegun.

Justice Ekwo particularly restrained the Governor, the AG and the House of Assembly from proceeding with the planned probe, and equally barred the AGF, NJC and the IGP from acting on any report submitted to them by the Ondo State government pending the determination of the main suit.

The court, which granted all the four principal reliefs contained in the motion ex-parte moved by Okutepa, ordered the service of all originating processes in the suit on the defendants and adjourned till March 5, 2021, for hearing of the plaintiff’s motion on notice.

Justice Akeredolu alleged, among others that the decision by the state government, through the former Attorney General (AG), Charles Titiloye, to refer the allegations made against her and the state’s judiciary by Fagboyegun in the viral video to the House of Assembly for investigation, was an illegal act designed to remove her from office.

It would be recalled that Fagboyegun, who claimed to be a stepbrother to the state’s chief judge, in the viral video, had alleged that Justice Akeredolu instigated his detention for three years for going to their father’s house.

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