The crisis rocking the Rivers State House of Assembly took a new turn on Tuesday, December 12, as the State’s High Court issued a restraining order against the pro – Nyesom Wike Speaker, Martins Amaewhule, and his supporters, prohibiting them from engaging in any legislative activities within the assembly complex.
Amaewhule and 26 of his colleagues, who are supporters of ex-Governor Wike, just decamped from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on which platform they were elected into the House of Assembly to the All Progressives Congress (APC) and are believed to the working with Wike to impeach Governor Fubara.
Presided over by Justice M.W Danagogo, the court issued the restraining order in response to an ex parte motion filed by the Rivers State House of Assembly and the pro-Governor Sim Fubara Speaker, Edison Ehie. The motion, prepared by D.I Iboroma, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and others, sought to halt Amaewhule and others from entering the assembly complex until the burnt chamber was fully renovated by the government.
The court granted an interim order preventing Amaewhule and others from using the assembly premises for their sittings until the facility’s renovation is completed. Additionally, the court ordered that Edison should lawfully assume the speakership of the state assembly pending the determination of the motion on notice. Amaewhule was also barred from acting as the speaker of the House during this period.
Moreover, the court warned that Edison would be liable to pay N50 million in damages if the application before the court was deemed frivolous. The claimants were instructed to serve the interim order, the motion on notice, and other relevant documents on the defendants before December 13, 2023.
The court granted permission for the claimants to serve the documents through substituted means, either by publication in two national newspapers or by pasting them at a conspicuous part of the last known address of the defendants. The case is adjourned until December 21 for further hearing.
The court’s interim orders include restraining the defendants from using armed thugs accompanied by police personnel to gain access to the assembly complex, preventing disruption of the House’s operations, and interference with the statutory legislative duties of the second claimant, Edison Ehie, pending the determination of the motion on notice. The crisis has added another layer of complexity to the political landscape in Rivers State, with stakeholders closely watching the legal proceedings.
