8 years after, court nullifies impeachment of Ex- Imo Deputy Governor Jude Agbaso

An Owerri High Court has on Monday nullified the impeachment of Jude Agbaso as Deputy Governor of Imo State.

The Imo State House of Assembly had on March 2013, impeached Agbaso as the deputy governor of the state over allegations that he collected N458 million and red label drink as bribes from a construction firm, J-pros.

Agbaso, who was then the deputy to former governor, Rochas Okorocha contested the impeachment in court.

However, delivering the judgement eight years after on Monday, the trial judge, I. S Opara, said that he was giving the consent judgment since the parties had opted to settle óut of court.

Justice Opara added that the defendant was not giving a fair hearing on the matter before the impeachment was done.

While noting that in the eyes of the law the impeachment never occurred, the court however ordered the Imo state government to pay all entitlements and emoluments accrued to the former Deputy Governor from March 28, 2013, the date of impeachment till May 28, 2015, when his tenure as deputy governor was supposed to end.

Reacting to the judgment the counsel to Former deputy governor, Barrister Chijioke Emeka says the landmark judgement is a triumph of the rule of law and once again the development has shown that the judiciary is the last hope of the common man.

He added that the impeachment case is the longest in the history of the country as the case which started on April 30, 2013, ended after 8 years.