The Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt has granted a temporary injunction preventing 25 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly from presenting themselves as legislators of the House.
The 25 legislators, led by Rt. Hon. Martins Amaewhule and allied with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike, switched from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) on December 13, 2023.
Factional Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Victor Oko-Jumbo, along with two others, took the 25 legislators to court, requesting that they be barred from presenting themselves as members of the House of Assembly following their defection to another political party.
“An order of interlocutory injunction is granted preventing 1st to 25th defendants from parading and holding out themselves as members of the Rivers State House of Assembly and/or meeting/sitting at the auditorium of the House of Assembly quarters located at off Aba Road, Port Harcourt or at any other place whatever to purport to carry out legislative business of the Rivers State House of Assembly, their legislative seats having been declared vacant pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit,” the order read.
“An order of interlocutory injunction is hereby made restraining the 26th defendant to 28th defendant from dealing with, interfacing, accepting my resolutions, bills and or howsoever interfacing with 1st to 25th defendants in their purported capacities as members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, their legislative seats having been declared vacant with effect from 13th December, 2023, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.”
Also named as defendants in the lawsuit are the Rivers State Governor, the Attorney-General of the state, and the Chief Judge of the state.
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