A group of legislative lawyers, known as the Incorporated Trustees of the Association of Legislative Drafting and Advocacy Practitioners (ALDRAP), has approached the Federal High Court in Abuja seeking an order that would force the House of Representatives to issue an arrest warrant for Professor Abubakar Olanrewaju Suleiman, the Director General of the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), which operates under the National Assembly.
The lawyers contend that Suleiman should be taken into custody for ignoring a summons from a House committee investigating his alleged involvement in the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary in Kwara State without first resigning from his official position.
In the legal action, the Speaker of the House and Yusuf Galambi, who chairs the House Committee on Legislative Library, Research and Documentation, are named as respondents. ALDRAP, whose membership includes NILDS employees, filed the suit.
Among the requests made by the plaintiffs is a writ of mandamus compelling the respondents to use the authority granted by sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution, along with the House of Representatives Standing Orders of 2023, to authorize Suleiman’s arrest. This stems from his failure to appear before lawmakers on June 18, 2026, as required.
The court has also been asked to confirm that the powers held by the House under the cited constitutional sections include the ability to force attendance and ensure compliance with legal summons.
Furthermore, the plaintiffs urge the court to direct the respondents to uphold the provisions of the Constitution and the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act, particularly regarding individuals who refuse to appear after being formally summoned.
In their argument, the plaintiffs, through their counsel J. J. Lamy, state that Suleiman was summoned to the House Committee on June 18 but deliberately failed to appear. They emphasize that sections 88 and 89 of the Constitution grant the House and its committees the authority to summon and compel attendance, and that Order 19 of the House Standing Orders reinforces this power for cases where summons are ignored.
“The respondents have the constitutional and legal authority to issue such a warrant and enforce compliance with lawful summons. It serves public interest and the rule of law for them to be compelled to fulfill their duties,” the plaintiffs added.
Previously, ALDRAP had filed another suit at the same court seeking Suleiman’s removal from office and a permanent injunction barring him from acting as NILDS DG, following his alleged participation in the APC Kwara primary without resigning, contrary to President Bola Tinubu’s directive and the Electoral Act.
The association is also asking the court to declare that Suleiman should have resigned by March 31, 2026, after announcing his candidacy, and that his failure to do so violates the Electoral Act, 2026. Additionally, they seek a declaration that the Senate President and the House Speaker acted unlawfully by not appointing an acting DG for NILDS after Suleiman’s primary involvement, and they want the court to compel the appointment of an acting director pending a permanent replacement.
Meanwhile, ALDRAP has submitted evidence to the House Committee showing Suleiman’s participation in the Kwara APC primary. This includes a June 19, 2026, letter to the APC National Chairman requesting a Certified True Copy of documents proving Suleiman’s membership and participation in the May 22, 2026, primary; a query from the NILDS Governing Council dated June 2, 2026, signed by the Clerk of the National Assembly; and newspaper reports and eyewitness accounts of the event.