Speaker, House of Representatives, Mr. Aminu Tambuwal

The people of Kebbe/Tambuwal Federal Constituency in Sokoto State, who are being represented by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Aminu Tambuwal, on Monday failed in their bid to become a party in a suit filed by Tambuwal to stop his removal from office and a member of the House.

Justice Ahmed Mohammed, in a ruling, dismissed two separate applications filed in the name of the constituents seeking to be joined as defendants in the suit.

“This suit is unmeritorious and it is hereby dismissed,” he ruled.

One of the applications was jointly filed by the Chairman of Kebbe Local Government Area, Bala Konkani, and the Chairman of Tambuwal Local Government Area, Sambo Modo.

The other application was filed by three members of the Sokoto State House of Assembly – Abdussamad Dasuki, Suleiman Hantsi, and Shuaibu Umar, representing Tambuwal East, Tambuwal West and Kebbe constituencies, respectively.

The constituents are opposed to Tambuwal’s removal as Speaker and member of the House of Representatives, arguing that removing him would deprive them of representation in the House of Representatives.

But instead of seeking to be joined along with Tambuwal as plaintiffs, they had sought to be joined as co-defendants.

Before the court dismissed the two the applications on Monday, Tambuwal had himself, through his lead counsel, Mr. Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), opposed the applications on the grounds that he had chosen the defendants he had claims against in the suit.

The existing defendants in the suit, comprising the Peoples Democratic Party, its National Chairman, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu; the House of Representatives, the Inspector-General of Police and the Attorney-General of the Federation, had not opposed the application.

However, Justice Mohammed upheld Fagbemi’s contention in his ruling on Monday, declaring that the plaintiff had not made any claim against the applicants to warrant them from being joined as a defendant.

The court also held that there was no common interest between the applicants and the other defendants already on record that could form the basis for joining them as co-defendants.

It added that it was evident that from the content of their applications their interest was at cross-purpose with that of the defendants already on record.

The local government chairmen had filed their application, dated November 11, 2014, through their counsel, Mr. Israel Olorundare (SAN), while the state legislators had filed theirs, dated November 12, 2014, through Mr. Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN).

The substantive suit was adjourned till December 3 for hearing.

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