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Six out of the
eleven suspended House of Representatives members will return to an
Abuja High Court today, as the substantive suit challenging their
suspension begins.

The lawmakers –
Dino Melaye, Independence Ogunewe, Solomon Ahiwinahwi, Bitrus Kazeh,
Abba Anas Adamu, and Austin Nwachukwu – were accused of starting a
crisis in the House of Representatives in June and were subsequently
suspended.

They had asked the
court to restore them to their legislative functions, pending the
determination of the suit they brought challenging their suspension
from the House.

However, Mr. Adamu
Bello, in his ruling, held that “court cannot grant an order of interim
injunction, as sought by the plaintiffs, in view of the fact that there
is a challenge to the jurisdiction of the court as laid down by the
Supreme Court. Granting such an injunction would amount to reversing
the orders of the House of Representatives.”

He stated that all
process should be in before the October 4 date ( Today), adding that
the court will not entertain any excuse of the date.

In their joint
motion, argued by Femi Falana, the embattled lawmakers insisted that
they were elected for a tenure of four years and that neither the
Speaker nor anyone else had any right to cut the tenure short for any
reason.

They claimed that
their suspension had denied their respective constituencies
representation in the lower chamber of the National Assembly, and urged
the court to set aside the suspension slammed on them on June 22,
pending the final determination of their main suit.

Dismiss the suit

However, the Speaker urged the court to dismiss the motion of the suspended lawmakers for being frivolous and lacking in merit.

The Speaker of the
House, Dimeji Bankole, through his counsel, Afolabi Afolayan, argued
that what the suspended lawmakers were asking for is a shortcut to
justice, adding that there would be nothing left for court to
adjudicate upon once the embattled lawmakers were returned to their
seats.

He also argued that
the plaintiffs failed to give undertaking for damages in their
affidavit in support of the interlocutory motion, as demanded by law,
and urged the court to refuse the motion for being defective.

But the national
leadership of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP), has directed
the 11 suspended members of the House of Representatives to withdraw
their case against the House.

At a meeting between the group and the national working committee of
the PDP, led by its chairman, Okwesilieze Nwodo, on August 4, the
suspended lawmakers were told that the only way the party could
intervene was for them to ask their lawyer to stop the case.