In a recent development, the Appeal Court has overturned a Rivers State High Court injunction that previously removed Martin Amaewhule and 24 other lawmakers loyal to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike from the State House of Assembly, as reported by INDEPENDENT.
Governor Siminalayi Fubara's allies have not yet commented on this judgment.
Initially, on May 10, 2023, Justice Charles Wali of the Rivers State High Court issued an interim injunction.
This injunction prevented the pro-Wike lawmakers from acting as Assembly members.
It was in response to a lawsuit filed by Victor Oko-Jumbo and others who support Governor Fubara.
The High Court had agreed with the plaintiffs, barring the pro-Wike lawmakers from entering the Assembly complex or carrying out any legislative functions.
Unhappy with this ruling, Amaewhule and his colleagues took the matter to the Appeal Court, seeking to overturn the High Court’s decision.
They contended that the High Court had overstepped its jurisdiction and sought to annul all legislative actions undertaken by the Assembly led by Oko-Jumbo.
The Appeal Court, convening in Abuja, nullified the lower court’s order, stating that the Rivers State High Court did not have the authority to prevent the lawmakers from fulfilling their duties.
This judgment reinstates Martin Amaewhule as the Speaker and invalidates all decisions made by the Assembly under Oko-Jumbo’s leadership.
Rivers APC Chairman, Tony Okocha, expressed immense satisfaction with the verdict.
“I don’t know of any sweeter moment than this because the Court of Appeal judgment has come to settle gray areas in our society.“
"The court said the status quo before the matter was at all instituted in any court. So what is the implementation, that Martin Amaewhule is the Speaker and that Martin has all the powers. All the actions they had gotten involved in, they are nullified, the Commissioners they screened, the so-called attorney general,” he stated.