Supreme Court will affirm NASS powers to re-order elections –Lawmaker

A House of Representatives member, Mr. Peter Akpatason (Edo-APC), has expressed optimism that Supreme Court will upturn Abuja High Court’s ruling that National Assembly has no powers to alter elections sequence.

Akpatason told the News Agency of Nigeria on Friday in Abuja that the court’s ruling was an attempt to obstruct legislative process.

According to him, the court’s ruling negates the provisions of the law.

He said that the court would have allowed the National Assembly to complete the entire process of election sequence before offering its opinion, based on the position of the law.

“I think in the first place, it is expected that the court should have allowed the entire process to be completed and then, they can go ahead and give an opinion about it, based on the position of law.

“Ideally, this is an ongoing process, and until a bill becomes law, an attempt by the court to adjudicate over it will amount to obstructing legislative process and it’s against the provisions of the law.

“In any case, as a person, I don’t think it is right; I don’t think it is correct that the legislature does not have the powers to legislate on the sequence of elections.

“The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that they are talking about is a creation of a piece of legislation and we have the power to review, improve upon and to abrogate any piece of legislation,” the lawmaker said.

He disclosed that the leadership of the National Assembly would appeal the court’s verdict at the Supreme Court.

“I don’t see how it can be defended anywhere that the legislature does not have the powers.

“I am one of those legislators who believe that the matter should be taken to the Supreme Court.

“We have seen situations like this in the past where the lower court’s intervention to solve a particular problem even when it is clear to them that ultimately, at the Supreme Court, the situation is going to change.

“I want to believe that is what we have in our hands right now. Definitely we are going to reverse it at the level of the Supreme Court,” he said. (NAN)

source http://www.punchng.com/supreme-court-will-affirm-nass-powers-to-re-order-elections-lawmaker/