The Rivers State government has submitted that the court did not declare Martins Amaewhule and 26 others as members of the Peoples Democratic Party and the Rivers State House of Assembly.
The Rivers State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Dagogo Israel Iboroma, made this submission on Monday while reacting to an earlier court judgement regarding the fate of some lawmakers in the state.
Recall that a Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt, led by Justice Okogbule Gbasam, on Monday, dismissed a lawsuit seeking to vacate the seats of 25 lawmakers who allegedly defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
However, Iboroma, in an immediate reaction to the court ruling, said there is misleading news circulating in social media, print and electronic media regarding the interpretation of the court order.
He argued that reports claiming the court declared the 27 lawmakers led by Speaker Martins Amaewhule as members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is misleading and false.
The Commissioner added that the suit before the court did not seek to declare the seats of Amaewhule and 26 others vacant.
Iboroma said the suit of the claimants was struck out for want of locus standi and jurisdiction and also for being an abuse of court process.
According to him, “As Hon. Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice and 3rd defendant in SUIT NO DHC/20/CS/2024, my attention has been drawn to a recent judgment. This suit did not seek to declare the seat of Martins Amaewhule and 26 others in the Rivers State House of Assembly vacant.
“The suit of the claimants was struck out for want of locus standi and jurisdiction and also for being an abuse of court process which robbed the trial court of jurisdiction to adjudicate on the matter.
“There is misleading news circulating in social media, print and electronic media that Martins Amaewhule & 26 others are members of the Peoples Democratic Party and the Rivers State House of Assembly.”
