Court dismisses Ambode’s suit to stop Lagos Assembly from probing him

Lagos State High Court has dismissed a suit filed by former Lagos state governor,  Akinwunmi Ambode, seeking an injunction to restrain the State House of Assembly from probing his tenure as governor of the state.

The Assembly in 2019 constituted a committee to investigate Ambode’s administration, particularly to probe the purchase of 820 buses which they claimed wasn’t done with the approval of the lawmakers.

The former governor approached the court to stop the probe.

Ruling on the application on Thursday, Justice Yetunde Adesanya held that court lacked the jurisdiction to stop the lawmakers from going ahead with the probe. The judge ruled that the ad-hoc committee set up to investigate Ambode was a fact-finding committee and not an indictment.

“The claimant (Ambode) has not been indicted. An invitation by an agency of government cannot in anyway cause a breach of the threat of the fundamental rights of the claimant.  I hereby find that the claimant’s action is an invitation to the court to cripple the legislative exercise of the statutory power of the Lagos State House of Assembly under Section 128 and 129 of the 1999 Constitution.

That is not the function of the court, and no court of law should accede such invitation. The claimant’s suit is hereby struck out.” the judge said.