PH Court adjourns ruling to January 21, 2025 on fate of 27 Rivers lawmakers

The ever-twisting political crisis in Rivers State has featured the case instituted before a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt by the Labour Party seeking the declaration of the seats of the 27 allegedly defected lawmakers vacant.

The Court has adjourned ruling to January 21, 2025 to rule on applications in the suit seeking that the seats of the State House of Assembly who allegedly defected from their People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) be declared vacant.

In the case with suit number FHC/PH/25/2024, the Labour Party is also seeking the court to determine whether the alleged defection of the 27 lawmakers was proper.

The suit is further seeking that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should conduct a by-election to fill in the alleged vacant seats of the State House of Assembly, where the labour party and other interested parties can participate.

The claimant, who is the Caretaker Committee Chairman of Labour Party in the State, Hilda Dokubo, was present in court while the matter was being deliberated.

Ferdinand Orbih, SAN, counsel for 2nd to 28th defendants in the matter (Martin Amaewhule, the Nyesom Wike-backed factional speaker of the Assembly, PDP, others), told the court that the 29 defendants in the case planned to consolidate their applications in the matter.

Orbih told the court that the applications deal with the same subject matter which is praying the court to direct parties in the matter to file and exchange pleadings and call for evidence in proof of their respective cases.

The counsel further presented their motions, insisting that the applications were backed up with paragraphs of affidavits and urged the court to grant the applications.

In his argument, the claimant counsel, Clifford Chukwu, did not object to the consolidation of the applications, but opposed the applications submitted by the defence counsels.

Chukwu urged the court presided by Emmanuel Obele to dismiss the motion by the 1st, 2nd-28th, and 29th defendants. He said “The defendant did not file a further affidavit. It is law that failure to file a counter affidavit amount to an admission to all facts stated in the counter affidavit”.

Reacting to the submissions by the parties in the matter, the trial judge, adjourned the matter till January 21, 2025 for ruling on applications by the parties.