The attempt by pro-Wike lawmakers to reclaim control of the Rivers House of Assembly faced a setback at the Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt on Friday. A three-judge panel, headed by Hamma Barka, dismissed the lawmakers’ request to overturn a Rivers State High Court order that allows lawmakers backed by Governor Siminalayi Fubara to continue their legislative duties in the assembly.
The appeal was filed by former assembly speaker Martin Amaewhule and 24 others against Speaker Victor Oko-Jumbo and five others.
Mr. Amaewhule and 24 other lawmakers in the assembly, whose seats were declared vacant after their defection to the APC, are loyal to the former governor, Nyesom Wike (now the FCT minister). Meanwhile, Mr. Oko-Jumbo and two other lawmakers currently in charge of the assembly are allies of Governor Fubara. The appellate court also denied Wike’s allies’ request to overturn the trial court’s order preventing them from acting as members of the state assembly.
Additionally, Justice Barka refused their request to stop Governor Fubara-backed lawmakers from functioning as assembly members. The judge ordered all parties involved to maintain the status quo until the appeal is resolved.
Mr. Amaewhule and his group, unhappy with the trial court’s order, appealed to the appellate court. They requested a halt to the trial court’s interim injunction and asked the appellate court to prevent Governor Fubara from enforcing the trial court’s decision. They also wanted the trial court to pause its proceedings until the appeal was decided and sought an order to stop Mr. Oko-Jumbo and two others from acting as state assembly members which prompted the pro-Wike lawmakers to file the appeal.
The Court of Appeal instructed all parties to keep things as they are until the appeal is resolved. Justice Barka explained that addressing the applicants’ requests at this stage would effectively decide the issues of the appeal, which the court is not willing to do at this point.
