Nigeria Content Online

The Attorney
General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Bello Adoke may
intervene in the impasse at the House of Representatives by persuading
the leadership to obey court orders and allow members of the
“Progressives” to attend plenary.

The attorney
general’s influence, had earlier in the year led to the resolution of a
case where the leadership of the Senate disallowed Alphonsus Igbeke,
who had a valid court judgment legalising his election victory, from
taking his seat as a senator.

An official of
the Justice ministry, who spoke to NEXT on condition of anonymity, said
Mr Adoke, who was outside the country last week, is expected to enjoin
the leadership of the House to obey a High Court order that nullified
the suspension of some members.

Dino Melaye and
other members of the “Progressives” were throughout last week
consistently barred from entering the Assembly complex and attending
sittings, even after they obtained a court judgment nullifying their
earlier suspension in June.

Mr. Melaye and 10
other members of his group in the House, were last June forcefully
evicted from the chambers and subsequently suspended indefinitely after
they accused the Speaker, Dimeji Bankole, of allegedly misappropriating
N9 billion out of the capital vote of the House.

“The action of
the House leadership indicates they have something to hide,” Chidi
Odinkalu, the director of Africa Program for Open Society and Justice
Initiative, said of the action of the House leadership.

On Thursday, the
House recalled two more apologetic members of the group and sustained
security surveillance against those who had obtained court judgments
nullifying their suspension.

Court contempt or “Locus clasicus”

The leadership of
the House said it was unlawful to let the “unrepentant” lawmakers back
just yet because they have appealed the High court’s judgement and
applied for a stay of the execution. Eseme Eyibo, the spokesman of the
Representatives argued that there is a “locus clasicus” that when a
case is on appeal, nobody is supposed to take further steps to
actualize the ruling.

“The basis of the
gentlemen coming to resume does not arise because there is a motion for
a stay of execution and a notice of appeal,” Mr. Eyibo said.

Femi Falana, counsel to the “Progressives” and other notable lawyers
interviewed by NEXT, however said Mr. Eyibo’s logic is wrong. “All
judgments of every court of law must be obeyed instantly by everybody
in the country, including the president,” Festus Keyamo, a renowned
lawyer said.