By Ise-Oluwa Ige

ABUJA – The suspended members of the House of Representatives including Mr. Dino Melaye will, November 15, this year, know their fates.

This is because an Abuja Federal high court sitting on the case is set to give its judgment in the case.

The court fixed the judgment date Thursday after counsel in the legal battle had presented their cases and adopted the briefs of arguments of their clients

However, one of the suspended lawmakers, Austin Nwachukwu in a dramatic u- turn Tuesday withdrew his case against the Speaker, Mr. Dimeji Bankole and the House.

In withdrawing his suit Nwachukwu told the Federal high court that his family and his constituents have directed him to terminate the case against Bankole and the House for the overall interest of peace.

Justice Adamu Bello who heard the case stood his ground firmly against all attempts by the defendants to either get the case adjourned or partly heard on account of jurisdiction

Adopting his brief , Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN) representing Mr. Dimeji Bankole informed Justice Bello that the Dino Melaye group was suspended from the house because of their unruly and uncivilized behaviors and un-parliamentarian comportment in the house the day they were suspended.

He said that the Dino Melaye group members entered the house and disrupted the proceedings, blowing whistle as if they were on a football pitch.

He presented the video cassette of June 22 proceedings to the court and canvassed that the court should view it in order to do justice to the case.

Olanipekun maintained that the suspended lawmakers goofed in their claims that the House had no power under the constitution to suspend them.

The SAN argued that section 60 of the 1999 constitution vested powers in the National Assembly to fashion out its own rules and regulations for members and to punish any erring members in order to avoid anarchy in the House.

He also dismissed the claims of the lawmakers that they were ordered to vacate their seats in the house insisting that they were only put on suspension pursuant to section 21,22 and 24 of the legislative house Powers and Privileges Act. Olanipekun asked the court to dismiss the suit in its entirety.

But counsel to the House, Alhaji Yusuf Olaolu Ali (SAN) corroborated the position of Olanipekum adding that the rules and regulation of the House came about in order to prevent mad or naked people from staying in the hallowed chambers.

Earlier, counsel to the lawmakers, Mr. Femi Falana, had asked the court to declare the suspension of the lawmakers as un-constitutional, illegal null and void and reinstate them back to their seats. He informed the court that the house rules under which they were suspended vested no such powers on the House and its leadership.