A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has struck out a suit filed by the late Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, former Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, against the Bayelsa State House of Assembly over an alleged plan to impeach him.
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The trial judge, Justice Emeka Nwite, in a ruling on Wednesday, struck out the suit after B.K. Angaye, who appeared for the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, its Speaker and other defendants, made an application to that effect.
When the case was called, no counsel appeared for Ewhrudjakpo, who died on December 11 last year.
Angaye announced his appearance for the House of Assembly, the Speaker, the Attorney-General of Bayelsa State, and the Clerk of the Assembly, who were listed as the 1st, 2nd, 5th and 7th defendants in the suit.
The Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS) was represented at the proceedings by Ifeoma Okonkwo.
Angaye informed the court that the suit, which had been pending for a considerable period, had been overtaken by events and urged the court to strike it out. Okonkwo did not oppose the application.
Justice Nwite consequently struck out the case, stating that the matter had been overtaken by events.
Ewhrudjakpo, the immediate past Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, had filed the suit to challenge an alleged move by the State House of Assembly to impeach him following his refusal to defect with the state governor, Douye Diri, from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
In the originating summons marked FHC/ABJ/CS/221/2025, Ewhrudjakpo alleged that members of the Bayelsa Assembly were under pressure to remove him from office for refusing to resign from the PDP, the platform on which he and Diri were elected.
Diri had defected from the PDP to the APC on November 3, 2025, but Ewhrudjakpo remained in the party.
The late Deputy Governor, through his lawyer, Reuben Egwuaba, had sought an order restraining the House of Assembly from removing or impeaching him in violation of Sections 188(5)-(9) and (11) and 36(1) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, on the grounds of his refusal to defect.
He also sought an order restraining the Assembly from initiating or conducting impeachment proceedings against him, and from recognising or dealing with any person as Deputy Governor of the state.
Additionally, Ewhrudjakpo sought an order restraining the Inspector-General of Police, the DSS Director-General, and the Bayelsa Attorney-General from withdrawing his security protection pending the determination of the motion.
After the ex-parte motion was moved on October 27, 2025, Justice Nwite directed the defendants to appear and show cause why the interim orders sought should not be granted.
The late Ewhrudjakpo was said to have collapsed in his office in Yenagoa and was rushed to the Federal Medical Centre, where he was pronounced dead on December 11, 2025. He was buried on January 30, 2026.
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