By Josephine Oguntoyinbo

For failure to appear in court yesterday, Ondo State High court has ordered the state Deputy Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa to pay a fine of N200,000

Justice O. Akintan-Osadebay of the Ondo State High Court, Akure, yesterday awarded N200,000 cost against the State Deputy-Governor, over the failure of his Lawyer to appear in Court to argue the motion he filed to restrain the State Chief Judge and the House of Assembly from proceeding with his impeachment pending the hearing and determination of the Appeal he filed against the Judgement delivered by the Court on October 10, 2023 dismissing his case.

The Deputy-Governor should pay N50,000 cost each to the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, the House of Assembly, the Clerk to the House, and the State Chief Judge who were sued as the 3rd to 6th Respondents respectively in the motion.

It will be recalled that the Judge had earlier dismissed Suit AK/348/2023 filed in that Court by the Deputy Governor, for constituting an abuse of judicial process, in view of the earlier suit which he had filed at the Federal High Court, Abuja over the same impeachment.

Following the dismissal of the case, the Deputy-Governor had filed a Notice of Appeal together with an application that the Court should restrain the House of Assembly and the State Chief Judge from proceeding with the impeachment, pending the hearing and determination of his Appeal.

When the case was called, Counsel to the State House of Assembly and the State Chief Judge were in Court, but the Counsel for the Deputy-Governor was absent. Counsel to the State House of Assembly, A. S Subair of Femi Emmanuel Emodamori & Co, informed the Court that the motion for injunction was adjourned till yesterday based on the agreement of both parties, and wondered why the counsel to Aiyedatiwa was absent and did not deem it fit to write the Court over his absence. While adjourning the hearing of the motion till November 7, 2023, the Judge awarded the N200,000 cost against Aiyedatiwa for wasting the time of the Court and the other parties.