27th July, 2010
A mild drama took place at an Umuahia High Court on Monday when a private legal practitioner, Chidozie Ogunji, contested appearance for the speaker with the Attorney-General, Ume Kalu, in a suit brought by the deputy governor.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Deputy Governor, Comrade Chris Akomas, sued Gov. Theodore Orji and joined the assembly, the state government, speaker and the Attorney-General as co-defendants.
Akomas in the suit is asking the court to declare the impeachment proceedings started by the House of Assembly against him as a nullity.
NAN reports that when the matter came up for hearing on Monday, the Attorney-General announced appearance as counsel for all the defendants with Ogunji, saying that he was specifically appearing for the speaker and the assembly.
Ogunji, who claimed that he was holding the brief of Mr. Obiora Obianwu (SAN) contended that he had the instruction of Mr. Speaker to represent him and the assembly in the matter.
“We had the last conference with our client on July 23, before filing our process in the matter,†he averred, noting that “I will not relinquish the instructions of my client to anybody.”