Attorney-General Godfred Dame (Left) advised the President to stay away from the bill until the Supreme Court is done hearing the suits

RE: DECISION TO HALT THE APPROVAL OF MINISTERIAL NOMINESS PRESENTED TO PARLIAMENT OF SUIT NO. J1/ 12/ 24 (ROCKSON-NELSON DAFEAMEKPOR VRS. 1. SPEAKER OF PARLIAMENT 2. ATTORNEY-GENERAL)

Respectfully, I am aware of a statement made by your esteemed self in Parliament on 20 March, 2024, in which you communicated the Mobility of the House to “continue to consider the nominations of His Excellency the President» in view of the pendency of what you stated as “an injunction motion on notice seeking to restrain the Speaker from proceeding with the vetting and approval filed in the suit referred to above.

In furtherance of my mle under article 88 of the Constitution and bearing constitutional responsibility for the conduct and defence of all civil proceedings against the State (including Parliament), I am constrained to draw your attention to some observations made from a body of the stilt in question and the results of a formal search conducted at the Registry of the Supreme Court today, 21•, March, 2024. 1. The action filed by Mr. Dafeamekpor, Member of Parliament for South Dayi, consists of a bare writ of summons. No statement of case in support of the writ has been filed as mandated by the Supreme Court Rules, 1996 (C. I. 16). It is thus correct to say, respectfully, that the suit is not properly constituted. In accordance with Rule 46(3) of C. I. 16, such an action will be struck out where a statement of case in support of the plaintiffs writ is not filed within fourteen (14) days.

  1. The plaintiff has not filed an application for interlocutory injunction `seeking to restrain the Speaker from proceeding with the vetting and approval of the names of the persons submitted by His Excellency the President …. , or indeed, any other interlocutory relief. Thus, there is nothing before the Supreme Court which may constitute a restraint or fetter on Parliament from proceeding with the approval of ministerial and deputy ministerial nominees presented to Parliament by the President in accordance with articles 78(1) and 79(1) of the Constitution.