A Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt issued an order on Monday preventing the Chief Judge and the Clerk of the State House of Assembly from acting on any impeachment resolutions from 27 lawmakers loyal to ex-governor Nyesom Wike.
Justice Jumbo Stephen directed that the Chief Judge and Clerk should not process any impeachment documents from Martins Amaewhule and the other pro-Wike lawmakers. This decision came after a suit filed by Rivers State Attorney General and Governor Siminialayi Fubara.
The court’s decision follows a recent Court of Appeal verdict reinstating pro-Fubara lawmakers, who had resumed sitting on Monday. The pro-Wike lawmakers gave Governor Fubara a seven-day ultimatum to re-present the 2024 budget, previously passed by the pro-Fubara faction.
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The Assembly has been divided since a feud began between Governor Fubara and his former mentor, Wike, last year. In the new lawsuit, Fubara named Amaewhule and 26 other pro-Wike lawmakers as defendants, along with the factional Speaker, Victor Oko-Jumbo, the Clerk, other pro-Fubara lawmakers, the Chief Judge, and the Peoples Democratic Party in Rivers State.
The court ordered all parties to maintain the status quo as of July 5, 2024, until the hearing for an interlocutory injunction on July 15. Justice Stephen emphasized that none of the 31st and 32nd defendants should interact with the pro-Wike lawmakers or act on their resolutions.
Earlier on Monday, pro-Wike lawmakers led by Amaewhule demanded that Governor Fubara re-present the 2024 budget within seven days. They accused Fubara of violating the 1999 Constitution and a court ruling by Justice J.K. Omotosho, which restrained him from dealing with three suspended Assembly members.
In a letter dated July 8, the pro-Wike lawmakers said, “The Rivers State government under your watch is now barred from spending funds from the consolidated revenue fund of the state.” They also accused Fubara of ignoring legal judgments and urged him to comply with the law.
Fubara initially presented an N800 billion budget for the 2024 fiscal year, which was passed and signed into law by the pro-Fubara faction. Meanwhile, the pro-Fubara Assembly screened and confirmed Emmanuel Onengiye-Ofori Frank-Fubara as a commissioner-designate on Monday.