Daily Independent Online.
*
Tuesday, August 24, 2004.
Members
plan out of court settlement in Delta Assembly crisis
By
Tunke-Aye Bisina
Reporter, Asaba
An end now appears in sight on the lingering crisis in the
Delta State House of Assembly as parties involved are moving towards an out of
court settlement of the issues at stake.
Upon an oral application by the counsel to the four members
that were suspended, Mr. Joseph Odebala, an Asaba High Court has adjourned
further proceedings on the matter to August 6 to allow the parties resolve the
issues at stake.
The House had on June 3 suspended four members, including
Basil Ganagana, Misan Ukubeyinje,Ejaife Odebala and Festus Ovie Agas for
allegedly plotting to impeach the leadership of the House. A committee it set
up to investigate the allegations indicted them and recommended that the
suspension be extended by 26 days. It accordingly adopted the report of the
committee and ordered that the affected members should not resume until
yesterday.
However, the four members went to court and obtained an
order of certiorari restraining the House from suspending them until the
determination of the substantive suit. The House also filed another application
seeking to discharge the order.
Counsel to the House, Mr. Chike Onyemenam was to have moved
his application on Wednesday where he sought to discharge the order revoking
their suspension. But counsel to the affected members Odebala, who
coincidentally is the father to one of the affected members, told the court
that the Speaker of the House, Mr. Young Daniel Igbrude, had called his clients
and asked for an out of court settlement.
But counsel to the House told the court that contrary to the
claim by his colleague, it was the applicants who approached his client for
settlement and to that effect his client wanted them to withdraw their case
before he could oblige them the request.
However Odebala insisted that it was the speaker who called
them to his residence and asked for an out of court settlement. The court in
its ruling noted that the parties were disposed to an out of court settlement
and accordingly adjourned the case to August 6 for that process to be done.
