Conflicting Court Rulings Spark Confusion In Rivers

There seems to be confusion in Rivers State over the two different rulings of the Federal High Court on the ongoing political crisis in the state.

Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his predecessor and minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, had been at loggerheads since October 2023 when members of the House of Assembly made moves to impeach him.

Justice James Omotoso nullified the 2024 budget as approved by the Rt. Hon. Edison Ehie-led House of Assembly and assented to by the governor.

However, Justice J. O. Abdulmalik, directed the parties not to take further steps, pending the determination of an application that is seeking to stop Fubara from re-presenting the already passed 2024 budget of the state before the legislative house.

While some residents, believed to be supporters of Wike, are celebrating the Omotoso judgement, supporters of Fubara are celebrating the Abdulmalik ruling.

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Omotoso, in his judgement also ordered the governor to represent the budget to the legally constituted House of Assembly under the Speaker, Martin Amaewhule.

On his part, Abdulmalik, directed the parties not to take further steps, pending the determination of an application that is seeking to stop Fubara from re-presenting the already passed 2024 budget of the state before the legislative house.

The court fixed February 28, 2024 to hear the application which was brought before the court by six elders of the state.

The plaintiffs in the matter, led by a member of the Rivers State House of Assembly representing Bonny State Constituency, Hon. Victor Okon Jumbo, are; Senator Bennett Birabi, Senator Andrew Uchendu, Rear Admiral O.P. Fingesi, Ann Kio Briggs and Emmanuel Deinma.

They had through their team of lawyers led by Mr. Olukayode Ajulo, SAN, approached the court, praying it to declare seats of 27 lawmakers in the state that defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress, (APC) vacant.

In a 19-paragraph affidavit that was deposed to by the 6th plaintiff, Deinma, who identified himself as an indigene of Rivers State from Okrika Local Government Area, the court was told that sometime in November, 2023, 27 out of 32 members of the Rivers State Assembly, “without any justification or lawful excuse whatsoever, decided to defect from the PDP, being the platform under which they were elected.”