Five of the six suspended members of House of Representatives may have to wait till November 25 to know if they can return to work or not, as the judgment to decide their fate was yesterday stalled by the absence of the judge handling the matter at a Federal High Court in Abuja.
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.
After listening to the arguments by both parties on the substantive motion of the six lawmakers asking the court to return them to the House, the presiding judge, Adamu Bello adjourned the matter to yesterday to give judgment.
But at yesterday's sitting, lawyers were seen taking new dates for their case from the court Registrar, due to the absence of the judge, and the Melaye matter was adjourned to November 25 for judgment.
In their joint motion, argued by Femi Falana, the embattled lawmakers insisted that they were elected for a tenure of four years and that the Speaker had no right to cut the tenure short for any reason. They claimed that their suspension has denied their respective constituencies representation in the lower chamber of the National Assembly and the court to set aside the suspension slammed on them on June 22 of this year, pending the final determination of their main suit.
Mr. Nwachukwu has withdrawn his matter against the Speaker of the House, on the premise that his family and constituents have directed him to terminate the case against the Speaker, Dimeji Bankole, and the House in the interest of peace.
Two of the suspended members of the House of Representative, Ehiogie Idahosa (Edo State) and Olugbenga Onigbogi (Osun State), were recently recalled after more than three months of suspension. The duo and nine other members were suspended for asking the Speaker, Mr. Bankole, to quit on allegation of fraud.
The House announced that it will review the orders of suspension on individual basis on conditions that the affected members quit litigations, and tender apology. Messrs Idahosa and Onigbogi, who were both absent during the violent session, turned themselves in for internal probe by the House.
Ethics and Privileges Committee
The Speaker of the House, however, urged the court to dismiss the motion of the suspended lawmakers for being frivolous and lacking in merit. Mr. Bankole argued that what the suspended lawmakers were seeking was a shortcut to justice, adding that there would be nothing left for court to adjudicate upon once the embattled lawmakers are returned to their seats.
Wole Olanipekun, counsel to Mr. Bankole, told the court that Mr. Melaye and his group were suspended from the House because of their unruly behaviour on the day they were suspended, adding that the suspended lawmakers goofed in their claims that the House has no power under the constitution to suspend them.
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 lawyers to stop the case.
http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/Metro/Politics/5642560-147/suspended_legislators_know_fate_on_november.csp
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.
After listening to the arguments by both parties on the substantive motion of the six lawmakers asking the court to return them to the House, the presiding judge, Adamu Bello adjourned the matter to yesterday to give judgment.
But at yesterday's sitting, lawyers were seen taking new dates for their case from the court Registrar, due to the absence of the judge, and the Melaye matter was adjourned to November 25 for judgment.
In their joint motion, argued by Femi Falana, the embattled lawmakers insisted that they were elected for a tenure of four years and that the Speaker had no right to cut the tenure short for any reason. They claimed that their suspension has denied their respective constituencies representation in the lower chamber of the National Assembly and the court to set aside the suspension slammed on them on June 22 of this year, pending the final determination of their main suit.
Mr. Nwachukwu has withdrawn his matter against the Speaker of the House, on the premise that his family and constituents have directed him to terminate the case against the Speaker, Dimeji Bankole, and the House in the interest of peace.
Two of the suspended members of the House of Representative, Ehiogie Idahosa (Edo State) and Olugbenga Onigbogi (Osun State), were recently recalled after more than three months of suspension. The duo and nine other members were suspended for asking the Speaker, Mr. Bankole, to quit on allegation of fraud.
The House announced that it will review the orders of suspension on individual basis on conditions that the affected members quit litigations, and tender apology. Messrs Idahosa and Onigbogi, who were both absent during the violent session, turned themselves in for internal probe by the House.
Ethics and Privileges Committee
The Speaker of the House, however, urged the court to dismiss the motion of the suspended lawmakers for being frivolous and lacking in merit. Mr. Bankole argued that what the suspended lawmakers were seeking was a shortcut to justice, adding that there would be nothing left for court to adjudicate upon once the embattled lawmakers are returned to their seats.
Wole Olanipekun, counsel to Mr. Bankole, told the court that Mr. Melaye and his group were suspended from the House because of their unruly behaviour on the day they were suspended, adding that the suspended lawmakers goofed in their claims that the House has no power under the constitution to suspend them.
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 lawyers to stop the case.
http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/Metro/Politics/5642560-147/suspended_legislators_know_fate_on_november.csp
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