Tambuwal: Presidency shops for pliant judge

Indications emerged yesterday that two judges had declined hearing a fresh application to sack the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Aminu Tambuwal.
The judges were said to have turned down the matter to avoid the hammer of the National Judicial Council (NJC).
The judges were said to have claimed that it would amount to abuse of court process if the application was entertained since a similar suit on defection was already before a Federal High Court judge, Justice Ahmed Mohammed.
Besides the legal option, the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Adamu Muazu, has summoned the Deputy Speaker of the House, Chief Emeka Ihedioha, and 205 PDP members in the House to a meeting scheduled to hold on Monday.
It was gathered that the party would give a directive to the Deputy Speaker and others to reconvene the House plenary.
Tambuwal’s ADC, others redeployed
While the PDP was neck-deep in its plot, the Inspector-General of Police, Suleiman Abba, has redeployed the Aide-de-Camp to the Speaker and his other police aides to different police formations.
They got their letters of posting on Friday, putting paid to any hope of restoring Tambuwal’s security apparatchik.
Investigation by our correspondent revealed that anti-Tambuwal forces in the Presidency had been pushing for a fresh suit to get a declaratory judgment against the Speaker to vacate his office.
A highly-placed source, who spoke in confidence, said: “There is a plot to file a fresh application at the court to declare Tambuwal’s seat vacant in the light of Section 68(1) (g) of the 1999 Constitution.
“But two judges have declined pressure to entertain the new application because it would amount to abuse of court process since Justice Ahmed Mohammed of the Federal High Court is already handling a similar matter.
“The judges claimed that if they go ahead to consider the application, the NJC might sanction them.
“I can tell you that the anti-Tambuwal forces have run into a roadblock. The only option they have is to consolidate any fresh suit with the existing one in line with Order 11 of the Federal High Court Civil Procedure Rules 2009.
The order says: “Where two or more matters are pending in the court and it appears to the Court that (a) same question of law or fact arises in both or all of them; or (b) the rights to relief claimed therein are in respect of or arise out of the same or similar transaction or series of transactions; or (c) the interest of justice of the trial so demands, the Court may order that the causes or matters be consolidated on such terms as it thinks just and the Court shall give such directions as may be necessary with respect to the hearing of the causes or matters so consolidated.”
Muazu champions move to reconvene house
But the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alh. Adamu Muazu, has summoned the Deputy Speaker of the House, Chief Emeka Ihedioha, and 205 PDP members in the House to a meeting on Monday.
A notice of the session was served to all the lawmakers on Friday.
A principal officer in the House said: “Some of us have got a hint of the agenda. The party leadership wants to direct us to cut short our recess and reconvene at all cost to elect a new Speaker.
“They said we should either move against Tambuwal or forget our second term ticket. I think they have forgotten that not all the PDP members in the House will back the party’s position.
“The House has adjourned sitting till December 3 and only the Speaker can reconvene the House.
“They are trying to put Ihedioha in a tight corner by tying his governorship aspiration to his loyalty to the party at this crucial moment.
“The Deputy Speaker is a man of principle. He will rather stand by the members than being used as a pawn by anybody. This is the same man they have not been too disposed to as the PDP governorship candidate in Imo State.
“We will go there on Monday to listen to their ‘advice’ or directive as the case may be.”
Another source who responded to the Inspector-General of Police, Suleiman Abba’s redeployment of the Aide-de-Camp to the Speaker and other police aides to different police formations yesterday said: “Despite public outcry, the IGP has reposted the Speaker’s ADC, driver and other police aides.
“They were all served their reposting signals on Friday with a directive to resume at their formations with immediate effect.”