Again Senate Refuses To Swear In Emordi’s Replacement

PHOTO: SENATOR JOY EMORDI SUBMITTING A REPORT RECENTLY.

ABUJA, May 18, (THEWILL) - Again Senate has shunned the order of the Appeal Court sitting in Enugu and refused to swear in Alphonsus Igbeke as replacement for sitting Senator Joy Emordi whose election was quashed by the court, THEWILL can report.

Igbeke is of the opposition All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP).

Igbeke was stranded at the lobby of the National Assembly on Tuesday after he was refused entrance into the chamber of the Senate by the leadership.

This was despite heated agitation by principal officers from the ANPP who met with the Senate leadership at the opening of sitting Tuesday where they demanded that Senate respect the ruling of the court and swear in Igbeke.

The Appeal Court which earlier quashed Emordi’s election had last week upheld its ruling and ordered the Senate to swear Igbeke in as Senator representing Anambra North.

Emordi had however gone to the Supreme Court to appeal the decision of the Appeal Court.

However the leadership at the meeting of the body of principal officers stood its ground insisting that Igbeke would not be sworn in on the ground that it had received a notice of appeal on the case filed at the Supreme Court by Senator Emordi.

However, briefing newsmen after plenary, Chairman Senate Committee on Information and Media, Senator Ayogu Eze justified the position of the Senate stating that it did not disobey the order of the court.

"To the best of my knowledge the Senate has not disobeyed any court order. There is a notice served on us that the appeal that was filed at Enugu for interpretation has been taken to the Supreme Court. Additionally the appellant had also applied for stay of execution to the highest court in the land.

"So we are just being very careful so that we will not run foul of either of the courts. We are picking our way. The Senate is very law abiding and highly respectful of the court," he said.

He said the Senate will always obey the ruling of the court after the matter is fully determined by the judiciary.

"We have no personal interest in the matter. The matter is for people for Anambra North but right now it has even gone beyond them as it is now the court. When they finish their legal gymnastics a clear declarative pronouncement will now lie before the Senate and when that is done I can assure you that Senate will not hesitate in carrying out what is now the clear order of the last pronouncement on it by the court," Eze said.