Assembly shut down by court order obtained by Rivers factional speaker

Edison Ehie led a faction in the Rivers Assembly that supported Governor Siminalayi Fubara. They were able to obtain a court order that effectively closed down the legislative chamber by preventing Martins Amaewhule’s side from sitting.

The Amaewhule faction of the Rivers House of Assembly is devoted to Nyesom Wike, the current FCT Minister and a former governor of the state of Rivers.

In the lawsuit, Ehie had pleaded with Justice Phoebe Ayua’s court to prevent Amaewhule and the other leaders of his faction from presiding over House of Assembly proceedings.

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The River State House of Assembly is named as the first plaintiff in the lawsuit, followed by Ehie, the Speaker of the River State House of Assembly.

The former deputy speaker, Martins Amaewhule, the Inspector-General of Police, the Director of the Department of State Security Services, Rivers State, and the Commissioner of Police are the defendants.

Judge Ayua’s decision mandated that all parties abide by the court order while the Motion on Notice is being heard and decided.

The order required the applicants/plaintiff to notify the respondents right away.

But as the matter is already before this court – sub judice – an order is made requiring all parties on record to obey the court and refrain from taking any action on the matter until the Motion on Notice is heard and decided.

The plaintiffs requested in the lawsuit, among other things, a ruling that the former speaker and his deputy, having been expelled and suspended from the house, had no right to take part in, interfere with, or hinder the new speaker’s discharge of legislative duties.

They said that this was in accordance with the Nigerian Constitution of 1999.

In addition, the plaintiff requested a prohibition against the former speaker and the deputy interfering with or taking part in House of Assembly business.

In its decision, the court directed the two parties in the Rivers House of Assembly to put a halt to additional sessions and preserve the status quo while the issue was resolved.

When Amaewhule and a few other members moved to remove the state’s governor, Siminalayi Fubara, the assembly split into two factions.