I’ll remain at senate, says Kogi lawmaker sacked by court

Atai Aidoko, senator representing Kogi east, says the judgement of the Abuja federal high court sacking him from office is “unenforceable.”

On June 13, an Abuja federal high court said Aidoko was wrongly presented as the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the December 2014 primary election of the party.

The court directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to issue Isaac Alfa, his rival, a certificate of return and ordered the clerk of the national assembly to make the needed arrangements for him to be sworn in.

But speaking with journalists in Abuja on Wednesday, Aidoko argued that it is not the mandate of the national assembly clerk to swear in a senator.

“There is a lot of misinformation around. First of all, we are aware of the court. So many news flying yesterday that a sacked senator attends plenary without giving any perspective, there was no other side to the story,” he said.

“We are all aware of the the federal high court by Justice Kolawole that determined that somebody air marshal is the candidate of the party. This is not the duty of the court to determine who party’s candidate is, it is the party. However, because I have appealed, I don’t want to go into the details, it will be prejudicial.

“First, it is common knowledge that where the judgement of the federal high court is delivered and an application of stay and notice of appeal have been entered in the court of appeal, all parties must stay action and that has always been the tradition.

“There is no point that the air marshal will begin blackmail and run around saying that he has the judgement and needs to be sworn in. Going around saying I have a certificate of return, this is trying to arm-twist the senate. If any institution will violate the law, proceedings in the court of appeal, it should not be the senate.

“Why he cannot be sworn in is that the judgement of the court is unenforceable. That judgement cannot be enforced as it is. It is not the function of the clerk of the national assembly to administer oath of office. It is the function of the senate president by our rules order 7. If they want to enforce the judgement, they need to go the court to amend or alter it.

“I don’t think the man should go around that he should be sworn in. Rules cannot be changed because of one person. Nobody in the senate has done has done anything wrong. The media should not be allowed to arm-twist the senate president.”