Alex Enumah
Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court, yesterday, gave an order restraining the Speaker of the Zamfara State House of Assembly and two others from taking any further step in their alleged plan to sack the Deputy Governor of the state, Mr. Mahdi Gusau.
The restraining order was made while delivering ruling in an ex parte application brought against the defendants by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Counsel to the plaintiff, Mr. Ogwu Onoja (SAN), in arguing the motion claimed that the Zamfara State lawmakers in connivance with some other persons were planning to sack the deputy governor, over his alleged refusal to decamp to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Among other reliefs he requested from the court was an interim order restraining the fifth to seventh defendants – the speaker, the state governor and chief judge of the state from going ahead with the planned removal of the Deputy Governor.
In the short ruling, the court, while stating that the issue raised was of extreme urgency and also required its intervention, ordered parties to maintain status quo ante bellum pending the hearing of a motion filed by the plaintiff.
PDP, in the main suit, had asked the court to sack Bello Matawalle, Zamfara State governor, over his defection to the ruling APC.
According to the opposition party, Matawalle, having left the PDP through which he became governor has lost his ticket to remain in office.
In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/489/2021, the plaintiffs contended that in view of an earlier judgment of the Supreme Court, to the effect that the APC had no candidates in the 2019 governorship election in Zamfara State having not conducted valid primaries, it would be unlawful for Matawalle to retain his office as it amounted to transferring PDP’s victory to the APC.
