Court Delivers Judgment On Rivers Assembly, Fubara Suit Today

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Court Delivers Judgment On Rivers Assembly, Fubara Suit Today

The Federal High Court in Abuja will on Monday, January 22, hear the suit filed by the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martins Amaewhule, against Governor Siminalayi Fubara, the National Assembly, and other parties.

This was revealed in a notice issued on Sunday to all parties concerned with the matter.

The plaintiffs in the suit identified as FHC/ABJ/CS/1613/2023 are Amaewhule and the Rivers State House of Assembly.

First through fifth defendants are the National Assembly, Senate President, Deputy Senate President, Senate Majority Leader, and Senate Minority Leader.

The 11th through the 17th defendants are Edison Ehie, the Governor of Rivers State, the Attorney General of Rivers, the Commissioner of Finance, the Accountant General of Rivers, the Inspector General of Police, and the Rivers State Civil Service Commission.

The plaintiffs sought an injunction prohibiting the first through tenth defendants from entertaining any request from Fubara to take on the functions of the Rivers State Assembly, including its role in making laws for the peace, order, and good government of Rivers in matters within its constitutional and legislative jurisdiction.

They asked for an injunction to prevent Fubara from obstructing or disrupting the assembly, which Amaewhule presided over as speaker.

The presiding judge in this case is Justice James Omotoso.

Rivers reports that Amaewhule initiated the lawsuit amid the height of the state’s political crisis.

The crisis was prompted by a strained relationship between the state’s immediate previous governor and the FCT minister, Nyesom Wike, and the governor himself.

However, on December 18, President Bola Tinubu called Wike and Fubara to a conference in Abuja, where they signed an eight-point accord to end the political impasse.