A bold move to impeach Bayelsa State Deputy Governor Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo has been forcefully halted by a Federal High Court in Abuja, which ordered the state’s House of Assembly to stop all proceedings immediately.
The court order, delivered by Justice Emeka Nwite, represents a major legal victory for Ewhrudjakpo and a significant setback for Governor Duoye Diri, with whom the deputy governor has publicly fallen out. The core of the impeachment threat stems from Ewhrudjakpo’s refusal to follow Diri in defecting from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Justice Nwite not only issued an interim injunction blocking any impeachment moves but also directed the Speaker of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly and five other parties to appear before the court and “show cause” why they should not be permanently barred from proceeding with the deputy governor’s removal.
The legal battle, filed by Ewhrudjakpo on October 17, argues that the planned impeachment violates the Nigerian constitution. The deputy governor contends that his decision to remain in the PDP while his boss defects is not a valid ground for “misconduct” and that any attempt to remove him for this reason is unlawful.
The court’s intervention freezes a rapidly escalating political crisis within the state’s leadership. Until recently, Ewhrudjakpo was considered an influential and loyal figure in Governor Diri’s administration, with the pair having served a first term together harmoniously.
The fracture emerged when Diri resigned from the PDP, a move Ewhrudjakpo pointedly refused to join. Political observers suggest Diri may still be hoping his deputy will change his mind, as the governor has yet to formally announce his new political party since leaving the PDP.
For now, the court’s ruling has erected a formidable legal barrier, protecting Ewhrudjakpo’s position and turning the political standoff into a tense judicial waiting game. The Assembly and its Speaker have been compelled to pause their impeachment push until the court makes a final determination.
