A group of human right advocates under the umbrella of Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) in Nigeria have dragged the national assembly before the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja in a bid to stop them from further hearing on the proposed bill to regulate the activities of NGO’s in Nigeria.
The group comprising of 23 NGOs in the suit seek the court order to the declare the NGO bill which has passed the second reading unlawful and unconstitutional.
The groups in the suit filed on the 3rd of November 2017 asked the court to determine whether a judicial order can be made to stop the legislature from deliberating on a bill pending before it and if that is possible, an order stopping further deliberations on the NGO Regulation Bill, which according to the groups violates right to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association, and non-discrimination, as contained in sections 39, 40 and 42 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
In thie 19-paragraph affidavit suit the group said they don’t need to wait for the bill to be passed into law before doing the needful since the bill will infringe on their rights if passed into law.
