The Victor Oko-Jumbo-led Rivers State House of Assembly, loyal to Governor Siminalayi Fubara, has announced that it has filed an appeal at the Supreme Court to challenge the judgement of the Appeal Court delivered on Wednesday in Abuja.
Oko-Jumbo made this known in a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Friday by the factional Clerk of the House, Dr. G. M. Gillis-West, and sent to news outlets.
The factional Speaker expressed that the Assembly firmly believes the Court of Appeal erred in ruling that the Rivers State High Court lacked jurisdiction to hear and determine Suit No. PHC/1512/CS/2024.
Oko-Jumbo asserted his position as the Speaker of the state legislature, emphasizing that there cannot be two Houses of Assembly in the state.
He reiterated that the seats of Martin Amaewhule and 24 other former lawmakers remain vacant as declared by then-Speaker Edison Ehie on December 13, 2023, following their defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) on December 11, 2023.
The statement reads, “There cannot be two Houses of Assembly in Rivers State or indeed any state in Nigeria. This House of Assembly, with me as the Speaker, is the only House of Assembly in Rivers State.
“As the whole world knows, on December 11, 2023, Martin Amaewhule and his 24 colleagues defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress.
“On December 13, 2023, Rt. Hon. Edison Ehie, as the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, declared the seats of Martin Amaewhule and 24 others vacant. That declaration by Rt. Hon. Edison Ehie has not been set aside by any court in Nigeria.”
He explained that the legitimate members of the Rivers State House of Assembly secured a restraining order against Martin Amaewhule and the 24 others when they continued to parade as members of the RSHA despite their defection from the PDP to the APC and their seats being declared vacant.
Oko-Jumbo noted that because they were dissatisfied with the rulings of the Rivers State High Court in Suit No. PHC/1512/CS/2024, Martin Amaewhule & 24 others filed an Appeal No. CA/PH/198/2024 at the Court of Appeal, Port Harcourt Division.
Continuing, he said, “Yesterday, July 4, 2024, the Court of Appeal, in its lead judgment, allowed the appeal by Martin Amaewhule & 24 others on the ground that the Rivers State High Court lacked jurisdiction to hear and determine the case.
“Accordingly, the Court of Appeal struck out Suit No. PHC/1512/CS/2024 and NOTHING MORE. The Court of Appeal did not make any declaration that Martin Amaewhule & 24 others did not defect from the PDP to APC.
“The Court of Appeal also did not make any declaration that Martin Amaewhule and 24 others are still members of the RSHA,” he pointed out.
“We strongly believe that the Court of Appeal was in error when it held that the Rivers State High Court lacked jurisdiction to hear and determine Suit No. PHC/1512/CS/2024.
He said accordingly, the House of Assembly has instructed its lawyers and they have filed an appeal to the Supreme Court of Nigeria challenging the judgment of the Court of Appeal delivered on July 4, 2024.
“Martin Amaewhule & 24 others, in spite of all their pretenses, are no longer members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, and they remain so until a court of competent jurisdiction says otherwise.
“Once again, we, the legitimate members of the RSHA, hereby call on the Independent National Electoral Commission to promptly conduct a bye-election to fill the vacant seats in the RSHA.
“We strongly urge the general public to ignore Martin Amaewhule & 24 others in their pretense that they are members of the RSHA.”
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