The Court of Appeal in Akure, Ondo State has reinstated Hon. Iroju Ogundeji as the Deputy Speaker of the State House of Assembly.
This decision was made unanimously by Justices Oyebisi Omoleye, Frederick Oziakpono-Oho, and Yusuf Bashir, who upheld the judgment of Justice Akintan Osadebey that reinstated Ogundeji.
Ogundeji, who represented Odigbo Constituency 1 in the House, was suspended in 2020 and subsequently removed as the Deputy Speaker by the State Assembly.
However, he approached the court through his lawyer, Oluwanike Omotayo Esq, to challenge his suspension and removal from office.
The court ruled that the Assembly’s actions were null and void, as they did not follow the constitutional requirements for impeachment.
Additionally, it was found that Ogundeji was not given a fair hearing, and not all members were present during the impeachment process as required by the rules of the Assembly and the 1999 constitution.
As a result, the court ordered Ogundeji’s reinstatement, payment of all his entitlements, and restoration of his office, and awarded him N10 million in damages for the humiliation suffered during his purported impeachment and suspension.
The Assembly appealed the lower court’s verdict, claiming the trial court lacked jurisdiction to hear the suit.
However, the Court of Appeal dismissed the Assembly’s appeal and ordered that Ogundeji be paid all his entitlements as a lawmaker and as the Deputy Speaker of the ninth Assembly.
