PDP’s bid to sack Tambuwal suffers setback

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP)
failed on Monday in a bid to sack the
Speaker of the House of
Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal,
as a Federal High Court in Abuja
refused an ex parte motion filed by
its member, Abiodun Akinlade.
Akinlade, a member of the House or
Representatives, representing Yewa
South/Ipokia Federal Constituency of
Ogun State, had by the motion,
sought to restrain Tambuwal “from
continuing to act or parade himself
as the Speaker of the House of
Representatives of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria pending the
hearing and determination of the
motion on notice.”
He also sought an order dispensing
with personal service and for
substituted service on Tambuwal “by
serving all processes in this suit in
the office of the Speaker, House of
Representatives, Abuja, Nigeria.”
Akinlade’s lawyer, Babs Akinwumi,
while moving the ex-parte motion,
urged the court to grant the interim
injunctions sought by his client
pending the hearing of the
substantive suit earlier filed by
Akinlade.
Ruling, Justice Ahmed Mohammed,
refused Akinlade’s prayers on the
ground that it was unfair to all
defendants in the case for the court
to make ex-parte orders against
them when they were already aware
of the case and were represented in
court by lawyers.
He ordered Akinlade to convert he
ex-parte application to a motion on
notice and serve it on the
defendants to enable them respond
to it.
“In this situation, all the parties are
represented in this case. It will be
most unfair to grant an order ex
parte against a party that has
representatives in a case,” the judge
said.
He fixed January 19 for further
hearing on the case.
Defendants in the suit are Tambuwal
(as the first defendant), the House of
Representatives and the
Independent National electoral comission (INEC)