Speaker of the House of Reps, Aminu Tambuwal, has accused his Deputy, Emeka Ihedioha; the Attorney-General of the Federation, Mohammed Adoke; PDP and its National Chairman, Adamu Mu’azu, of being behind the plot to remove him from office unconstitutionally.
Tambuwal, who defected from PDP to APC last week, made the allegation in an affidavit supporting an ex parteapplication he filed along with the APC at the Federal High Court, Abuja on Monday.
After hearing the application, presiding Justice Ahmed Mohammed directed all the parties in the suit to maintain the status quo till Friday.
In the affidavit which was deposed to by one of his lawyers, Ejura Ochimana, Tambuwal told the court that the PDP, Mu’azu, Adoke and Ihedioha, who are among the defendants in the suit, were working secretly to reconvene the House before December 3 in order to remove him as speaker.
He also stated that the withdrawal of his security details on October 30 by the Inspector-General of Police, Suleiman Abba, was upon the prompting of the defendants.
Tambuwal stated that despite the pendency of a suit he filed on Friday, the defendants were still bent on carrying through their threat to also remove him as a member of the House.
The Speaker and the APC asked the court to restrain the House from reconvening earlier than December 3, the day the Speaker had adjourned sitting.
In his ruling, Justice Mohammed said the order for the maintenance of the status quo was necessary so as to protect the subject matter (recovening the House) in the suit.
He therefore asked the parties in the matter to appear before him on Friday and directed that the defendants be served with the ex parte motion and copies of the enrolled order which he made on Monday.
Mohammed said the defendants needed to appear in court on Friday to show cause why the prayers sought by Tambuwal and the APC should not be granted.
The other defendants in the suit are the House, the IG and INEC
A counsel for the Speaker and the APC, Mr. Sunday Ameh (SAN), had while moving the application, urged the court to protect the subject matter of the suit which they filed last Friday challenging the alleged plan by the PDP to remove Tambuwal as speaker and declare his seat as a member of the House vacant.
The lawyer told the court that granting the orders would help preserve the position of Tambuwal as speaker, his membership of the House and his security which are all under threat.
He also told the court that PDP had summoned Ihedioha and its other members in the House for the purpose of reconvening the House and removing Tambuwal as speaker.
The lawyer added that it was unlawful, unconstitutional, null and void for the PDP to make any move that could lead to the resumption of the House.
APC leader in the House, Gbajabiamila asked, “What makes the case of the Speaker of Ondo Assembly different from Tambuwal’s? His political opinion? Let us make this abundantly clear; the legislature is a separate but equal arm of government. It is not inferior nor is it subservient to the Executive. Their powers are separated under the constitution and it can never be an extension or department of the Presidency or PDP.
“Just as the legislature cannot regulate the workings of the presidency or determine for the President when he should call Federal Executive Council meetings and we note that there was a time he did not for months, so also can the Presidency not determine for the House when to reconvene or meet.”
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