From Ayobami Ife, Abeokuta
The impeached Deputy Speaker of Ogun State House of Assembly, Oludare Kadiri, has dragged the Assembly before a Federal High Court sitting in Abeokuta, seeking cpquashing of his removal by the Assembly.
Kadiri was removed by 19 lawmakers on March 4 for alleged gross misconduct and a week later, replaced with Balogun Akeem Agbolade from Ogun Waterside State constituency.
In the suit marked FHC/ AB/ FHR/ 35/ 2021 and dated March 10, Kadiri sued the Ogun Assembly and sought N1.5billion naira damages.
He listed the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Olakunle Oluomo as the first respondent in the case while the House of Assembly was the second respondent.
In the application filed, Kadiri prayed the court for an order of N1bn exemplary damages against the respondents.
The court paper signed by the counsel to the applicant, Idowu Adepeju, which was obtained in Abeokuta on Wednesday, the impeached Deputy Speaker sought a declaration that his right to fair hearing under section 36(1) of the constitution was violated by the respondents in the process of removing him from office.
Kadiri also sought for an order declaring his removal from office and the process that led to it as a nullity, null, void and of no effect.
He stated that his removal was done in violation of fair hearing as stipulated in the constitution.
He also sought for an order of perpetual injunction restraining the respondents and their agents from taking any further step or doing anything that will deny him his right as the Deputy Speaker of the house.
In his affidavit in support of the application, Kadiri argued that the Speaker was at the Center of the dispute which formed part of the grounds for which he was impeached and that the same Speaker presided over his impeachment.
He further stated that all members of the committee set up to investigate him, except the Secretary, were the same accusers who had signed his notice of removal in a letter earlier sent to the clerk of the House before the committee was set up.
The reliefs sought reads : "A declaration that the applicant's right to fair hearing under section 36(1) of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as mended) was contravened by the Respondents in their process of removing him from office as the Deputy Speaker of Ogun State House of Assembly, having regard to the likelihood of bias in the decision making process.
"A declaration that the removal of applicant from his office as the Deputy Speaker of Ogun State House of Assembly, including the process and proceedings leading to the removal and all actions and steps taken pursuant to same, are all a nullity, null and void and of no effect, having been done in violation of the applicant's right to fair hearing in section 36(1) of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as mended.
"An order of perpetual injunction restraining the respondents by themselves, honourable members, officers, servants, agents and privies, from further taking any step or doing anything pursuant to ot in consequence of the purported removal of the applicant from his office as the Deputy Speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly and from denying the applicant any of his rights as such Deputy Speaker.
"An order of Five Hundred Million Naira general damages against the respondents jointly and severally.
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