A Federal High Court in Port Harcourt has dismissed the lawsuit filed against 27 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly who allegedly left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The case was brought by lawmakers loyal to Governor Siminalayi Fubara — Hon. Victor Oko-Jumbo, Hon. Adolphus Orubienimigha, and Hon. Sokari Goodboy Sokarifor. They asked the court to declare the seats of the defected lawmakers vacant.
These lawmakers argued that the 27 Assembly members, led by Speaker Martins Amaewhule, no longer had the right to hold their positions because they left the party that helped them win their elections.
The court, led by Justice Emmanuel Obile, had earlier delayed its decision to wait for a ruling from the Supreme Court. In February, the Supreme Court recognized Amaewhule’s leadership of the Assembly, a decision that influenced the Federal High Court’s latest ruling.
