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By Lizzy Chirkpi
The House of Representatives has called for greater clarity and consistency in the delivery of judicial judgments across Nigeria, citing the ongoing legal impasse involving suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan and the Senate leadership as a troubling example of judicial ambiguity.
Rising on a matter of personal explanation during plenary on Tuesday, Hon. Clement Jimbo (APC, Akwa Ibom), relying on Order 8 Rule 6 of the House Standing Orders, decried the increasing trend of court judgments being delivered with what he described as “ambiguities subject to different interpretations.”
“Mr Speaker,” Jimbo said, “as members of parliament with the constitutional mandate to make laws for the good governance, prosperity and security of our nation, it is imperative we draw attention to these perceived inconsistencies from our judiciary.”
The lawmaker emphasized that court judgments should be “simple, straightforward and without ambiguity,” arguing that legal pronouncements open to multiple interpretations could sow confusion and weaken the rule of law.
His motion, which was unanimously adopted by the House, comes amid a legal stand-off between Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan and the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio. Despite a binding ruling by the Federal High Court mandating her reinstatement following an earlier suspension, the Senate has failed to comply with the judgment, leading to what some civil society groups have described as a constitutional crisis.
Jimbo warned that the judiciary’s credibility was at stake if judgments continued to lack the clarity necessary for enforcement, particularly in politically sensitive cases.
“There is an urgent need to recalibrate the template on which judgments of our courts are written, expressed and delivered, to clearly convey the intentions of our judges,” he added.
The House resolution, while not binding on the judiciary, is expected to trigger broader conversations between the legislative and judicial arms of government on improving legal clarity and bolstering the public’s confidence in the court system.
As the controversy surrounding Senator Natasha’s suspension lingers, the spotlight now shifts to whether the judiciary will respond to these calls for reform—and whether the Senate leadership will finally comply with the court’s directive.