A member of the House of Representatives, Clement Jimbo, has called for urgent legal reforms to address what he described as growing misinterpretations of court judgments in Nigeria.
Speaking during an interview on Sunrise Daily, a Channels Television programme, on Friday, July 25, Jimbo weighed in on the ongoing dispute between Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan and the Senate, which was triggered by a Federal High Court ruling.
The lawmaker, who represents Abak/Etim Ekpo/Ika Federal Constituency, noted that the judgment had caused a constitutional standoff, with both the Senate and Akpoti-Uduaghan offering opposing 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.
Jimbo expressed concern that despite the judiciary’s independence, court rulings must be presented in clear, unambiguous language to avoid confusion among stakeholders.
He also criticised inconsistencies in judicial interpretations across different courts.
READ ALSO: Senate Spokesman Taunts Natasha, Says Attempted Return ‘Political Skit’
“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 added.
The controversy began earlier in the week when Senator Natasha, representing Kogi Central, arrived at the National Assembly, citing a Federal High Court ruling as grounds to resume legislative duties.
However, she was turned away by Senate security personnel, with the Senate insisting that the ruling contained no binding order for her recall.
Senator Natasha had been suspended by the Senate on March 6 for six months, after accusing Senate President Godswill Akpabio of sexual harassment. She challenged the suspension in court, calling it illegal.
Despite the court ruling, Senate spokesperson Yemi Adaramodu maintained that there was no standing court order compelling the chamber to lift the suspension before it expired.
In response, Natasha vowed to consult her legal team and said she would resume once the Senate returns from its upcoming two-month recess.