A storm is brewing in Rivers State following a contentious ruling by the Federal High Court in Abuja that reinstated 27 lawmakers who had defected from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to the All Progressives Congress, APC.
A major controversy is brewing in Rivers State, Nigeria, following a Federal High Court ruling that reinstated 27 lawmakers who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC). This decision has deepened the rift between the caretaker committee chairmen of the two APC factions led by Chief Tony Okocha and Chief Emeka Beke.
The crisis began when a state High Court in Port Harcourt restrained 25 Assembly members who defected from PDP to APC from acting as lawmakers, following a case brought by the Action Peoples Party (APP). However, the Appeal Court’s recent ruling overturned this decision, sparking outrage.
Constitutional lawyer Barr. Tochukwu Oha strongly criticized the ruling, arguing that the lawmakers’ defection warrants vacancy declarations, citing established legal precedents. He emphasized the need for the National Judicial Council (NJC) to intervene, expressing disbelief at the court’s decision.
The recent court ruling in Rivers State has sparked outrage, with many calling it shameful and a blatant disregard for the law. The controversy surrounds the reinstatement of 27 lawmakers who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC). Critics argue that this decision undermines the integrity of the judiciary and threatens the nation’s stability.
Emeka Beke has fired back in a press statement, emphasizing that Martin Amaewhule and others openly defected from the PDP to the APC, and were even welcomed by Tony Okocha, who claimed to be the caretaker chairman of APC in Rivers State at the time. This development is the latest in the ongoing APC crisis in Rivers State.
The controversy surrounds the reinstatement of 27 lawmakers who defected from the PDP to the APC, with some arguing that their defection warrants vacancy declarations ¹. The situation has been complicated by conflicting court rulings and factional divisions within the APC.
The APC crisis in Rivers State is getting more intense by the day. Emeka Beke has countered the Okocha faction’s claims, stating that the judgments they’re relying on haven’t addressed the core issue of defection and the declaration of vacant seats by Speaker Edison Ehie ¹ ².
Beke’s argument is that the defecting lawmakers’ seats should be vacated according to the law. On the other hand, Tony Okocha is unfazed, calling the defection a “gimmick” and affirming Hon. Martin Chike Amaewhule as the legitimate Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly ². Okocha also claimed that the 26 other lawmakers who defected are “untouchable”.
It’s clear that both factions are dug in, and this dispute is far from over. The APC’s national leadership needs to step in to resolve this crisis, especially with local government elections on the horizon.
APP maintained that the seats of the 27 embattled lawmakers remained vacant, as declared by the then Speaker, Edison Ehie.
However, the Legal Adviser of APP, Henry Ekine, added that Justice Lifu’s judgement does not in any way change the status of the lawmakers.
Ekine said the party is reviewing the judgement in preparation to file an appeal, pointing out that rather than looking at the merit of the suit, the judge threw it away on technical grounds.
