It has been made clear by the Supreme Court’s Certified True Copy (CTC) of its decision on the current political turmoil in Rivers State that the 27 lawmakers who are alleged to have defected from the PDP to the APC never did so. Previous reports that the lawmakers had lost their seats as a result of defection are called into question by this disclosure.CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
By directing the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Accountant General of the Federation, and other pertinent authorities to withhold payments from the state government, the Supreme Court’s decision, which was issued on Friday, also took a strong stand against the Rivers State government. The government must first abide by the law before cash can be granted, the court ruled, accusing it of “flagrant disobedience” to court rulings.
The court’s five-member panel unanimously rejected Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s cross-appeal, which contested the legitimacy of the House of Assembly under Speaker Martin Amaewhule’s leadership, in a significant political blow. The 25 parliamentarians who support Nyesom Wike, the current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and former governor of the state, were essentially given more power by the ruling.
In addition, the Supreme Court ruled that the recent Rivers State local government elections were unconstitutional due to serious infractions of the Electoral Act. The judgment’s CTC gave a thorough justification for the 27 parliamentarians’ continued eligibility to serve in the Rivers State House of Assembly. The court claims that their alleged defection was unsupported by any proof and that no legal procedure was followed to declare their seats vacant. According to the document:
The Rivers State House of Assembly was brought down by the eighth respondent. As a result, it is not reasonable to raise concerns about any member losing their position as a result of defection. Any constitutional procedures, including the declaration of a seat vacant, require a functional House of Assembly. The House alone, not the Governor or even the courts, has the authority to declare a seat empty owing to defection.
The ruling also denounced Governor Fubara’s attempts to exclude the 27 lawmakers from Assembly sessions, describing them as “chicanery.” According to the court, there was no evidence that the lawmakers had joined another political party, such as their names showing up on an APC membership list or their possession of an APC membership card. It reiterated that a party’s official registration and membership card are the only official documents that prove membership.
