In a move some legal experts have described as an abuse of court process, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), through one Isiaq Abiodun Akinlade in the House of Representatives, has approached an Abuja Division of the Federal High Court to sack Speaker Aminu Waziri Tambuwal from his position and membership of the House of Representatives
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The case, which is expected to come up today before Justice Evoh Chukwu, fellow Ebonyi indigene and kinsman of the Secretary of the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim, is seeking an ex-parte order to remove Tambuwal from his seat as well as to ask the Deputy Speaker, Emeka Ihedioha, to take over as acting Speaker of the House of representatives.
The decision to award the case to Justice Chukwu has raised eyebrows in legal quarters especially considering the fact that he is well known pro-government judge known for awarding bogus legal victories to the PDP in the past.
Some lawyers in the know of the issue said it was curious that Chukwu will even accept to handle the matter considering the fact that similar issues are now before a different judge in the same Abuja Division of the court.
Mr. Tambuwal has already filed a case in court seeking protection against moves by the PDP to declare his seat vacant. Already, Justice Ahmed Ramat Muhammed has ordered that status quo be maintained until the determination of the lawsuit filed by Tambuwal. Having been named defendants in this case, the party has now instigated one of its members in the House of Representatives to file another case seeking reliefs Tambuwal sought to stop his removal.
A lawyer knowledgeable about Justice Chukwu's antecedents today said: "The issue of Justice Chukwu giving favourable judgements to PDP is now a source of concern to many. You are aware that he gave judgement against Baraje led-New PDP by saying there was no faction in the party. This ruling was contradicted by two respected judges in Sokoto and Ilorin divisions of the Federal High Court who held that by the facts before them, there are indeed factions in PDP.
"By his stand on the Baraje issue, his position on the availability of faction in PDP is already known. Speaker Tambuwal defected to APC because he was convinced there was a faction in Sokoto PDP as per the ruling of the Sokoto division of the Federal High Court. Do you think Justice Chukwu is the right person to hear this application?
Curiously, Akinlade also recently defected from the APC to the PDP in order to actualize his ambition of becoming governor of Ogun State on the platform of the PDP.