The judgment of the Appeal Court in Abuja has gave some degree of relieve to Martins Amaewhule and his group of 26 Assembly members, as the political crisis in Rivers State takes another interesting, as reported by Vanguard.
The ruling brought jubilation in the camp of the former Governor and serving Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike.
The Appeal Court judge held that the Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt lacked the jurisdiction to rule on the validity of the defection by Martins Amaewhule and his colleagues.
In view of the raging crisis, some supporters of the state Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, have suggested a defection from the PDP.
They cite the lack of support from the leadership of the PDP both at the state and national levels despite the governor’s challenges.
Recently, 60 PDP lawmakers in the House of Representatives demanded the resignation of the party’s acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum.
They accused Damagum of failing to address the political crisis in Rivers State.
The 60 lawmakers, led by Ikenga Ugochinyere, accused Damagum of taking sides with Wike and working for the APC, a party that gave Wike the FCT ministerial appointment.
Hon. Evans Bapakaye Bipi, director general of Simplified Movement, Governor Fubara’s grassroots political group, addressed calls for the governor’s defection.
Bipi, a former Chief Whip in the House of Assembly, said the Appeal Court judgment was “fair.”
He supported the judge’s decision that the High Court in Port Harcourt lacked the jurisdiction to entertain the case.
“The governor is the leader of PDP in Rivers state. He has not given us the direction of where to go. Wherever he wants us to go, we will go there”, he said.