Court Halts Impeachment Efforts Against Bayelsa Deputy Governor

Table of Contents

1. Court Order Issued
2. Judge's Directive
3. Details of the Motion
4. Requests by Ewhrudjakpo
5. Background Information

A Federal High Court located in Abuja has instructed the Bayelsa State House of Assembly and others to cease any further actions aimed at impeaching the Deputy Governor of the state, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, until a motion on notice regarding this matter is resolved.

Justice Emeka Nwite also mandated the Speaker of the Bayelsa House of Assembly and five other individuals to appear and justify why they should not be prohibited from pursuing the impeachment of Deputy Governor Ewhrudjakpo, based on allegations of misconduct related to his decision not to switch to another political party.

The judge issued this order on October 27 while ruling on an ex-parte motion marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2219/2025, which was filed by the Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State against the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, the Speaker of the State Assembly, the Inspector General of Police, the Director of the Department of State Services, the Attorney General, the Chief Judge, and the Clerk of the Assembly.

Ewhrudjakpo, in the motion filed on October 17, requested the court for an interim injunction directing the defendants to appear and explain why the interim injunction requested in the motion on notice should not be granted against them, pending the hearing and determination of the aforementioned motion on notice.

He also sought a court order restraining the defendants from "removing or impeaching him as the Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State and from disregarding the provisions of Section 188(5), (6), (7)(a), (b), (8), (9), and (11) and Section 36(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) regarding his decision not to defect from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) or any other registered political party before the end of his four-year tenure as an elected Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, pending the hearing of the motion on notice."

Ewhrudjakpo also requested an order to prevent the defendants from initiating impeachment notices or proceedings against him based on his decision not to switch from the PDP to the APC before the conclusion of his four-year term as an elected Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, pending the hearing of the motion on notice.

It is worth noting that the Bayelsa State Deputy Governor, Senator Ewhrudjakpo, has had a falling out with his superior, Duoye Diri, after he declined to resign from the PDP alongside him.

Ewhrudjakpo, a prominent government official, had maintained a positive working relationship with Diri throughout their first term and the early part of their second term until the defection controversy arose.

There are indications that Diri remains hopeful that Ewhrudjakpo will reconsider and join him, which may explain the delay in announcing his new political affiliation since leaving the PDP.