A lawsuit contesting the legitimacy of President Bola Tinubu’s involvement in the state’s political crisis was dismissed by the Rivers State High Court, which is based in Port Harcourt.
Ten state representatives, led by His Highness Anabs Sara-Igbe, filed the case against President Tinubu, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Rivers State House of Assembly and its Speaker, Martin Amaewhule, and the Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara. The case was dismissed for lack of jurisdiction.
In order to determine if the instructions in the documents to end the state’s political impasse did not conflict with the 1999 Constitution as amended, the plaintiffs had requested a constitutional interpretation of the peace pact.
The legality of the President’s order to the governor to re-present the 2024 budget to the members of the House of Assembly, led by Martin Amaewhule, even after their seats were declared vacant, was another question they wanted answers to.
The applicants also insisted on knowing if it was appropriate to resubmit for screening the names of commissioners who had voluntarily resigned from their positions.
They requested that the court decide if Amaewhule’s 24 House of Assembly colleagues, who left the PDP to join the All Progressives Congress (APC), were entitled to continue serving in the house.
However, Justice Chinwendu Nworgu, the presiding judge, dismissed all petitions and declined to entertain the claim when the matter was called for hearing on Tuesday.
The actions of the Edison Ehie-led faction of the Rivers State House of Assembly were declared invalid by Judge James Omotosho of the Abuja High Court, a ruling that Nworgu highlighted.
