Court Bars Pro-Wike Lawmakers From Sitting
From ERIC MOORE, Port Harcourt
A High Court of Rivers State sitting in Port Harcourt has issued an interlocutory injunction barring 25 members of the State House of Assembly from parading themselves as members of the House.
The 25 lawmakers led by Martin Amaewhule and loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, had on December 13, 2023, defected from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Justice Charles Wali gave the restraining order yesterday, in Suit No: PHC/1512/CS/2024.
Factional Speaker of the House, Victor Oko-Jumbo and two others had dragged the 25 lawmakers to court seeking that they should be stopped from parading themselves as members of the House of Assembly following their defection to another political party.
Also joined as defendants in the suit were the Rivers State Governor, the Attorney-General of the State and the Chief Judge of the State.
A certified true copy (CTC) of the order reads in part: “An order of interlocutory injunction is granted preventing 1st to 25th defendants from parading and holding out themselves as members of the Rivers State House of Assembly and/or meeting/sitting at the auditorium of the House of Assembly quarters located at off Aba Road, Port Harcourt, or at any other place whatever to purport to carry out legislative business of the Rivers State House of Assembly, their legislative seats having been declared vacant pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.
“An order of interlocutory injunction is hereby made restraining the 26th defendant to 28th defendant from dealing with, interfacing, accepting my resolutions, bills and or howsoever interfacing with 1st to 25th defendants in their purported capacities as members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, their legislative seats having been declared vacant with effect from 13th December, 2023, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.”
Ends.