Date: 2015-04-30

There was a mild drama at Kwara State House of Assembly yesterday when security operatives prevented a “suspended” lawmaker, Iliasu Ibrahim, from gaining access to the premises. Ibrahim, representing Ipaye/Malete/Olooru constituency in the House is one of the two Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmakers in the 24-member Assembly. He was suspended in 2012. However, he challenged his suspension at a state High Court in Ilorin, and the court on June 13, 2014, declared his suspension as null and void and ordered his reinstatement as well as payment of all his entitlements. Our correspondent gathered that the House through its solicitors, Saka Isau and Co., filed an appeal for a stay of execution of the judgement.

But on Wednesday, March 11, 2015, the Court of Appeal, Ilorin Division, in a unanimous verdict by the three-man panel dismissed the motion, clearing the way for the lawmaker to resume.

Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam, who read the judgement said the applicants (the House and its leadership) failed to prove why the stay of execution should be granted.

“In my humble opinion therefore, the applicants failed to show the untold hardship they will suffer which could be avoided without damage to the respondent by the grant of a stay. They have failed to satisfy the court by showing exceptional circumstances to warrant the preservation of the res and maintenance of status quo and; a resultant grant of a stay of execution of the part of the judgement that is executory or injunction restraining the respondent from giving effect to the judgement of the High Court of Kwara State, in Suit No: KWS/41/2014, delivered on 13th June, 2014. In all, I hold that the balance of justice fails to tilt in favour of the grant of the stay. I therefore resolve the sole issue in favour of the respondent”, the judge ruled.    

Armed with the court judgement, the lawmaker arrived the House yesterday but faced stiff resistance from security operatives at the premises. 

The embattled lawmaker who spoke with our correspondent said the action of the House leadership was illegal, adding that he decided to leave the premises because he did not want to cause trouble. 

“They said the Speaker instructed them not to allow me. I sought to find out why; I saw the Clerk, but he also said it is only the Speaker that can give order for me to come in. So they are disobeying the court order”, he said.

When contacted, media aide to the Speaker, Mallam Abdulrahman Sanni, said he was not aware that the lawmaker was prevented from entering the House, adding that the Speaker been away.