THE Rivers State Government has maintained that the recent Court of Appeal ruling in Abuja did not reinstate Martin Amaewhule and 26 others to the State House of Assembly.
The government, through a statement by the State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Dagogo Iboroma, SAN, clarified that Amaewhule and his colleagues vacated their seats automatically after defecting from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) on December 11, 2023.
The government further argued that the defection issue was never raised before the Federal High Court or the Court of Appeal, meaning no court has legitimized their continued membership in the Assembly.
Dissatisfied with the Appeal Court’s decision, the Rivers State Governor has instructed his legal team to file an appeal with the Supreme Court and request a stay of execution.
Iboroma cited Section 109(1)(g) of the 1999 Constitution, which stipulates that the lawmakers automatically lost their seats upon defection. He also emphasized that the 2024 Appropriation Law was passed under the leadership of Edison Ehie, who was recognized as the legitimate Speaker at the time.
Despite the intervention of the President of Nigeria to resolve the crisis in the State Assembly, the Amaewhule-led faction disregarded the directive to withdraw their court cases, which led to further legal contention.
The Rivers Government has denounced claims that the court ruling reinstated Amaewhule and the others as false.
