Ehie Withdraws Suit Against 25 Rivers Lawmakers

Former Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Hon. Edison Ehie, has withdrawn his suit before a the state High Court seeking to stop the Hon. Martins Amaewhule-led faction from sitting and carrying out legislative functions.

Ehie had in Suit No. PHC/3638/CS/2023 instituted in a state High Court in Port Harcourt challenged the sittings and the subsequent legislative activities carried out by the 25 lawmakers after the declaration of their seats vacant.

He filed the charges against 25 Rivers Assembly lawmakers in the wake of the political crisis between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike.
However, when the matter came up for hearing of applications pending before the court yesterday, counsel to the claimants, I. Mac-Barango, drew the court’s attention to a notice of discontinuance by the claimants in the matter.

Mac-Barango applied that the court should give effect to the notice.
The defendant’s counsel, Ferdinand Orbih (SAN) and Emeka Onyeka, did not object to the application.
A state High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, headed by Justice M.W. Danagogo had last December confirmed Ehie as the authentic speaker of the House of Assembly.

The ruling also ordered Martins Amaewhule and Dumle Maol to stop parading themselves as speaker and deputy speaker of the legislature.

Consequently, on December 29, Ehie wrote the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on his resignation as the speaker and the lawmaker representing Ahoada Constituency II.

However, the trial judge, Justice F. A. Fiberesima, pursuant to the application by the claimants’ counsel, struck out the suit accordingly.

The development, which conforms with the eight-point peace pact brokered in Abuja by President Bola Tinubu may however not affect the fate of other court cases filed against the defection of the 27 lawmakers.