The Court of Appeal in Abuja has dismissed the application by Ondo State House of Assembly and its Speaker for an order hastening the hearing of its appeal seeking to upturn the order by a Federal High Court in Abuja halting the planned impeachment of  Deputy Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa.

In a ruling yesterday, a three-member panel of the appellate court held that the House of Assembly’s application for an order to abridge the time for the hearing of its appeal was without merit.

The court held that the applicant failed to show exception circumstances to warrant the grant of such an application.

The Assembly had on October 20 filed the application to abridge the time for the respondents to file their briefs.

It equally filed another application to extend time to compile and transmit the record of appeal.

During a hearing in the case on November 3, Aiyedatiwa’s lawyer, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa (SAN), faulted the application to extend time to compel record.

Adegboruwa argued, among others, that the court’s rules do not permit the appellants to seek extension of time on behalf of the court’s registrar, whose duty is originally to compile the record.

He added that the option for the appellants was to, on their own, proceed to compile the record.

Following the objection by Aiyedatiwa’s lawyer, the Assembly withdrew the application.

Also on November 3, the appellant’s proceeded to argue their application to abridge time for the respondents to file their briefs of argument, an application Aiyedatiwa’s lawyer equally objected to.

Adegboruwa contended that the appellants’ decision to withdraw the earlier application to extend time to compile the record of appeal has the consequence of taking the appeal to the normal run of events under the Rules of the court.

He added that based on the development, there was no basis for seeking to abridge time, a position the appellate court upheld in its ruling yesterday.

The appeal filed on October 3 by the Ondo Assembly and its Speaker are against the orders made ex-parte by Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja on  September 26 restraining the Ondo State Governor, it’s Chief Judge, the House of Assembly, its Speaker and others from proceeding with their planned impeachment of Aiyedatiwa pending the determination of a pending motion on notice for interlocutory injunctions.

THE NATION