Impeachment: Nasarawa CJ can’t disband investigative panel – Lawyer

Udechukwu during a telephone chat with Sunday Trust over the weekend said that under the constitution, the lawmakers could not ask for the disbandment of the panel.
According to him, even the Chief Judge who constituted the panel could not disband it unless a court of competent jurisdiction orders him to do so.
He said that impeachment process in Nigeria  was strictly governed by  the constitution adding that  with regard to the Office of a State Governor the relevant provisions are contained in Section 188 (1) to (11) of the 1999 Constitution.
“Once the Chief Judge has set up a panel of seven persons to investigate an impeachment allegation under Section 188 (5) of the constitution at the request of the Speaker, the House of Assembly lacks any authority to call for the dissolution of the Panel set up by the Chief Judge.”
“The Chief Judge has no constitutional power to disband the panel after setting it up under section 188 (5) of the 1999 constitution.
 “He can only be bound to disband the panel in obedience to a court order by virtue of Section 287 (1), (2) or (3) of the 1999 constitution.”
He said that the twenty members of the House of Assembly behind the impeachment process were acting in bad faith, motivated by base political considerations.
“In the first place, they did not serve any notice of impeachment on the governor. They made no rules for the impeachment procedure and their call for disbandment of the panel of investigators was made outside the legislative chambers. What is on display is nothing short of legislative impunity”, he added.