The strategy purportedly employed by suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan in her attempt to return to her legislative duties has drawn criticism from Ekemini Udim, a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria…CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
In an interview with means Television, Udim stressed that court orders should be enforced through the appropriate legal means rather than through workplace protests. Udim explained that the court never issued an order for Senator Natasha’s recall and maintained that if it had, the Senate President would have been held in contempt for noncompliance. He went on to say that the Senate President is not immune from court orders and can be forced to follow them.
He asserts that rather than letting feelings override the rule of law, Natasha, a lawyer with twenty years of experience, should know the right course of action to follow or seek advice from her attorneys. He said, “Let’s even suppose that the court has ordered Senator Natasha to be recalled. What is the process for implementing the rulings of the legal system? You don’t take a large group of people to your place of employment.” “What are you doing? Court rulings can be enforced in a number of ways. You file a contempt case against the president of the Senate. The Senate president does not have immunity if he has disregarded the court’s order.
“Therefore, if you file a contempt case against the Senate president, the courts will punish him severely. You don’t enforce court orders or judgements anymore. “And that’s what I’m saying: let’s keep feelings out of this situation. This is purely a legal matter. You file a contempt case against the Senate president if he has disregarded the court’s order. Immunity does not apply to him…CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
