Tambuwa with 68 Lawyers storms court; as Judge agrees that status quo should remain

The Speaker of the House of Rep, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, yesterday, stormed the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court with 68 senior lawyers, saying his life was in great danger.

The Speaker who was equally accompanied to the court by members of the APC in the House, urged the court to direct the Inspector-General General of Police, Sulaiman Abba to restore his security details.

Addressing the court through his lead counsel, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, Tambuwal specifically accused the PDP and its Chairman Alhaji Adamu Mu’Azu of plotting his downfall.

He said that the defendants had already conscripted the IGP into the plot to politically eliminate him, hence the abrupt withdrawal of all his security details.

Therefore, Fagbemi, who led five other Senior Advocates of Nigeria that appeared for the Speaker yesterday, urged the high court to compel the defendants to show cause why the security aides hitherto attached to the plaintiff should not be restored.

Justice Ahmed Mohammed thus ordered the House of Reps to maintain status quo until November 17 when it would hear both the substantive matter that was brought before it by Tambuwal and two separate preliminary objections that were raised against the suit.

Whereas the PDP and its Chairman, Mu’Azu jointly filed the first preliminary objection, the IGP and the Attorney General of the Federation in their own joint objection, challenged the jurisdiction of the court to entertain the suit.

Nevertheless, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke, SAN, undertook that nothing would be done to jeopardize the position of the Speaker till the next adjourned date. The AGF through his lawyer, Mr. Okeaya-Inneh, SAN, however urged the court to strike out the suit, contending that “by virtue of section 215(5) of the 1999 Constitution, the court cannot question the powers of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria or any Minister of the Government of the Federation authority to the Inspector-General on lawful directions with respect to the maintenance and securing of public safety and public order as he may consider necessary”.

‎Tambuwal had in his suit, told that court that the defendants, “have the propensity to act with impunity and in total disregard for due process‎”.

He pleaded that only a quick intervention of the court could stop the “evil plot” against him.