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REP CALLS FOR LEGAL REFORMS TO TACKLE AMBIGUOUS JUDGMENTAL
A House of Representatives member, Clement Jimbo, has called for legal reforms to stop the misinterpretation of judgments delivered by courts in Nigeria.
Jimbo made this call on Friday, when he featured on ‘Sunrise Daily’, a programme on Channels Television.
This is in response to the controversy surrounding the recent court ruling involving Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan and the Senate.
According to Jimbo, who represents Abak/Etim Ekpo/Ika Federal Constituency, the controversial judgment delivered by the Federal High Court had prompted 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 dissatisfaction 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.
He emphasized 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.
