Femi Falana, human rights lawyer,
says it is unconstitutional for any legislative chamber to suspend or sack a
member.
He said this on a Channels
Television news programme on Wednesday in reaction to the suspension of Ovie
Omo-Agege from the senate.
Falana said only a competent
court of law can suspend or remove a member of the legislature whether at
local, state or federal government level.
“No legislative house can suspend
or remove a member. It is only a court of law or the constituency that elected
them can order the removal or suspension of their representative,” said the
senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN).
“This is because when you remove
or suspend a legislator, his
constituency no longer has a representative in that house and that is not
legal.”
Falana recalled a case involving
a female lawmaker in the Bauchi house of assembly who was suspended
indefinitely over a statement she made during plenary.
“I handled the case of Dino
Melaye and others when they were been suspended from NASS in 2011. I handled
the case of Dana vs Bauchi house of assembly from the high court to court of
appeal. As of today, his case is the locus classicus on the tenure of members,”
he said.
Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com