The faction of the Rivers State House of Assembly led by Victor Oko-Jumbo says it will challenge the verdict of the Appeal Court, which declared Martins Amaewhule as the authentic speaker of the house.
Mr Oko-Jumbo, the speaker of the assembly’s faction loyal to Governor Siminalayi Fubara, disclosed this during a house sitting in Port Harcourt on Friday.
The Appeal Court, on Thursday, set aside a decision of the Rivers State High Court, which declared that Mr Amaewhule and 24 other lawmakers were no longer members of the assembly.
The appellate court held that the Rivers State High Court had no jurisdiction to entertain issues relating to the decampment of lawmakers.
Mr Oko-Jumbo said the assembly strongly believed that the Appeal Court was in error by declaring that a state high court could not hear such a matter.
”I remain the authentic speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly; there cannot be two Houses of Assembly in any state, not in Rivers,” he said.
He further said the seats of Mr Amaewhule and 24 other lawmakers were validly declared vacant by the then speaker, Edison Ehie.
“On Dec.13, 2023, their seats were declared vacant following their defection from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress on December 11, 2023.
“That declaration by the then speaker, Edison Ehie, has not been set aside by any court in Nigeria,” Mr Oko-Jumbo said.
The factional speaker said the assembly secured an order restraining Mr Amaewhule and the 24 other lawmakers from parading themselves as speaker and assembly members.
Mr Oko-Jumbo said the Appeal Court’s decision only dwelt on jurisdiction and did not look at other critical issues such as their decampment to another party.
“The Court of Appeal did not make any declaration that Martin Amaewhule and 24 others did not defect from the PDP to APC. It did not also make any declaration that they are still members of the house.
“In spite of all their pretences, Martins Amaewhule and the 24 others are no longer members of the Rivers State House of Assembly as we speak,” he said.
Meanwhile, during the sitting, the Oko-Jumbo-led assembly considered two bills, which were also moved through the first reading.
The bills are the Rivers State Emergency Management Agency Bill, 2024 and the Rivers State Transport Company Reform Bill, 2024.
(NAN)
