A member of the House of Representatives, Clement Jimbo, has called for legal reforms to reduce the misinterpretation of judgments delivered by courts in Nigeria.
Jumbo said this on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Friday, while reacting to the confusion surrounding the recent court ruling involving Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan and the Senate.
The lawmaker, who represents Abak/Etim Ekpo/Ika Federal Constituency, said the controversial judgment delivered by the Federal High Court had sparked a constitutional standoff, with both the senator and the Senate offering conflicting interpretations.
“A resolution of the National Assembly should be reached. And part of the resolution that I will suggest to Parliament is that the constitutional review committee, in conjunction with the Committee on Judiciary, should come up with an ad hoc committee that will sit in and, in clear terms, review a particular or relevant sections of our constitution and our laws to give very clear direction and mandate our judges on the template on which judgement should be written, should be given. And it should be devoid of any form of ambiguity,” he said.
The lawmaker expressed displeasure over the fallout from the judgment, where Senator Natasha attempted to resume legislative duties based on her interpretation of the court’s remarks, only to be denied entry by Senate security officials, with the upper chamber maintaining that the ruling did not include any binding order for her recall.
“I wouldn’t understand why in the Nigerian context, the legal system, where one metre in the high court is not equal to one meter in the appellate court. I think lawyers should do better than this, and our judges should do better than this.
He stressed that though the judiciary is independent, court rulings must be written in direct and clear language to avoid misinterpretation by the public or the parties involved.
He further recommended that the National Assembly take concrete steps to address the issue by forming a committee to review relevant sections of the Constitution and legal frameworks guiding how judgments are written.
Senator Natasha, who represents Kogi Central, had on Tuesday arrived at the National Assembly to resume duties but was denied entry.
The Kogi lawmaker said she would consult her legal team to know the next steps and vowed to resume once the Senate, expected to go for a two-month recess, resumes.
She insisted on resuming, citing a Federal High Court ruling.
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On March 6, the Senate suspended Akpoti-Uduaghan for six months for breaching its rules, amid her accusation of sexual harassment against Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
The Kogi lawmaker challenged the matter in court, saying her suspension was illegal.
However, the Senate advised her to stay away from the chamber.
In a statement, the Senate’s spokesman, Yemi Adaramodu, insisted that there was no subsisting court order mandating the Senate to recall the lawmaker before the expiration of her suspension.
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