A Federal High court sitting in Abuja has fixed Friday 14 September for ruling on whether or not to stop the House of Representatives from going ahead with impeachment proceedings against President Goodluck Jonathan over alleged budget implementation offences. Justice Gabriel Kolawole reserved the ruling
after listening to an ex parte application
brought by the national chairman of the
African Liberation Party, Emmanuel Osita
Okereke The counsel to the plaintiff/applicant, Alex
Williams had while moving the application
prayed the court to grant an interim order
restraining the leadership of the House of
Representatives from proceeding with the
impeachment as it was capable of distracting the president from discharging his duties. However, Justice Kolawole said he needed time
to study the processes to enable him deliver a
ruling. Listed as defendants in the suit are the
Speaker of the House of Representatives; the
House of Representatives; the National
Assembly, the Attorney General of the
Federation and Minister for Justice and
President Jonathan. In his affidavit in support of the originating
summons, the plaintiff stated that the move to
impeach the president from office for non-
implementation of 100 percent of the 2012
budget in July 2012 is heating up the polity. He also averred that the September deadline
issued by the house for 100 percent
implementation of the budget which is three
months earlier than the end of 2012 calendar
year and six months from the end of the 2012
budget / fiscal year is a threat to political stability.
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