Rivers Assembly Crisis: Court Disqualifies 25 Lawmakers

Sim Fabura, Rivers State Governor 

Fubara/Wike crisis — the court prohibits 25 legislators from posing as members of the Rivers Assembly

A recent interlocutory injunction from a Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt prohibits 25 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly from acting on behalf of themselves as members of the House.

On December 13, 2023, a group of 25 lawmakers led by Rt. Hon. Martins Amaewhule decided to join forces with Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), after he defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Rt. Hon. Victor Oko-Jumbo, the Factional Speaker of the House, and two other individuals filed a lawsuit against the 25 legislators, requesting that the court forbid them from standing for election as members of the Assembly after they defected to another political party.

The state's attorney general, chief judge, and governor of Rivers State are also named as defendants in the complaint.

A portion of the order's certified true copy reads: “An order of interlocutory injunction is granted preventing 1st to 25th defendants from parading and holding out themselves as members of the Rivers. State House of Assembly and/or meeting/sitting at the auditorium of the House of Assembly quarters located at off Aba Road, Port Harcourt or at any other place whatever to purport to carry out legislative business of the Rivers State House of Assembly, their legislative seats having been declared vacant pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.

“An order of interlocutory injunction is hereby made restraining the 26th defendant to 28th defendant from dealing with, interfacing, accepting my resolutions, bills and or howsoever interfacing with 1st to 25th defendants in their purported capacities as members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, their legislative seats having been declared vacant with effect from 13th December 2023, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.”