The impeachment of Alhaji Ali Olanusi, former deputy governor of Ondo State has been reversed by the Court of Appeal sitting in Akure.Olanusi was impeached by the state House of Assembly on April 27, 2015 when he dumped the Labour Party (LP) on which he was elected for the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The presiding Judge, Justice Mohammed Danjuma, held that Olanusi’s impeachment was not done in accordance with the provisions of the law.
He also held that the former deputy governor was not accorded fair hearing before he was impeached. Justice Danjuma, therefore, ordered the restoration of the rights and benefits due to the former deputy governor from the time of his removal from office to the period his tenure elapsed.
A Federal High Court in Lagos had on August13, last year struck out a fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by Olanusi to challenge his impeachment. Justice Mohammed Idris, in his judgment, had held that Olanusi’s suit was an abuse of court processes.
Justice Idris said the reliefs being sought were the same with those in the earlier suit, marked AK/51/2015, still pending before an Ondo State High Court in Akure.
