Tambuwal asks Court to send Police IG to Prison for Contempt

Rough times are ahead for the Inspector General of Police, Suleiman Abba. The Speaker of the House of Reps, Rt. Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, has asked the Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja, to try The IGP and send him to jail for disobeying an order made by the court.

The IGP had last week ordered police officers to take over the National Assembly complex to “prevent thugs from taking over the complex” and apparently the thugs are Tambuwal and other members.

Tambuwal told the court that by the IGP’s refusal to recognize him as Speaker of the House when he appeared before a committee of the House on Monday, the IG constituted himself “to be the complainant, the judge and the executioner in a matter where a restraining order has already been issued by the judge.”

Justice Muhammed, ruling on the exparte application, ordered Tambuwal’s counsel to serve the motion on notice on IGP Suleiman Abba’s lawyers for immediate response...

In a suit filed by Hon Tambuwal over his position as the speaker after he defected to the APC, Justice Ahmed Muhammed who is trying the case, had ordered that all parties should maintain the status quo, implying that Mr. Tambuwal stays put on his seat as speaker till the court takes a decision on the matter.

Relying on two grounds, Tambuwal, on Friday, represented by Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), said the IG should be charged for contempt after he directed his men to stop the plaintiff from gaining access to the premises of the National Assembly despite an earlier order by the court that all parties must maintain the status quo pending the determination of the substantive suit seeking interpretation of his status as the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Justice Muhammed has adjourned the matter to December 1, 2014, for a ruling.