An Owerri High court Presided over by Honourai Justice S.I.Opara, Monday gave a consent judgement, nullifying the Impeachment of Chief Jude Agbaso as deputy governor of Imo state.
The Imo state House of Assembly had on March 28, 2013, impeached Agbaso as the Deputy governor of the state on the allegations that he collected N458m and Red label as bribes from a construction firm, J- Pros.
Chief Agbaso who was as at the time the deputy to a former governor of the Imo state, Rochas Anayo Ethelbert Okorocha had contested his impeachment in courts.
Delivering the judgment on Monday, the trial judge, Justice Opara, said that he was giving the consent judgment since the parties had opted to settle out of court.
Counsel to Agbaso, Barr. Chijioke Emeka, had informed the court that his client and the defendants which included the state governor, the State House of Assembly and the chief Judge of the State had on February 1,2021 drafted terms of settlemente and filed same in court on February 2.
In the brief judgment, the judge said that the terms of settlement had become a consent judgement of the court.
Briefing journalists after the court session, Agbaso’s counsel disclosed that the consent judgment had nullified the impeachment of his client on March 28, 2013, as the deputy governor of the State.
The counsel said that the judgment had restored his client’s entitlements as a former deputy governor of the State and is therefore legally fit to hold public positions again.
He said that the parties had to “shift grounds” in order to reach truce on the terms of settlement.
Chief Agbaso who was in court, told journalists that he felt elated to be ” vindicated” eight years after he was accused of being involved in fraud.
He accused Okorocha of framing him up intentionally,” just to get me out of the way.”
He declared, “it has been a tortous eight years but I thank the good people of Imo state who Committed the disrupt mandate to me in 2011.I thank the government of Senator Hope Uzodinma for its bold stand which hastened the resolution.
” I also thank my lawyers for their tenacity since 2013, taking the the case up to the supreme Court and back to the High Court without charging professional fees.
“I thank my family for their, all time support, especially during the darkest moments when like the proverbial dog, I was given a bad name in order to hang me. I dedicate my belated vindication to the memory of my dear wife, late lady Ihuoma Agbaso, who supported me all the way and looked forward to this day, but sadly did not live to see it,”he stated.
