Terkimbi Ikyange
The impeached Speaker of Benue State House of Assembly, Terkimbi Ikyange, and two other principal officers have failed in their bids to vacate the court order restraining them from parading themselves as leaders of the House.
A Makurdi High Court, presided over by Justice Theresa Igoche, on Monday, ruled that the order restraining the trio would persist, pending the determination of the substantive suit.
When the matter came up, lawyers to the former Speaker, led by Mamman Osuman, made an oral application praying the court to vacate the interim order issued on July 27.
He added that “the order was supposed to last for seven days, so it ought to have elapsed on Friday, August 3, in line with the provisions of Order 39 rule 3(3)of the Rules of the Court.”
However, lawyers to the new Speaker, Titus Uba, and 21 others led by Sebatian Hon, opposed the application.
Sebatian Hon argued that the order was specific and dependent on the happening of an event, and until that event happens it could not be vacated.
Ruling on the matter, Justice Igoche held that “the order restraining the Speaker and two others from parading themselves as principal officers of the House would subsist pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.”
She stated that the inability to hear and determine the said motion was not due to the fault of the applicant, maintaining that the order was still effective pending the hearing and determination of the motion.
The Judge adjourned the case to August 9 for hearing.