Court Dismisses Suit Seeking To Declare 25 Rivers Assembly Seats Vacant

A Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt has 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).

The court’s verdict on Thursday reaffirmed the lawmakers’ positions, citing insufficient evidence of their purported defection.

The judgment, presided over by Justice Okogbule Gbasam, concluded that the legislators remained members of the PDP after the claimants failed to substantiate their claims that the lawmakers had officially joined the APC. The ruling effectively reverses an earlier interim order issued by the same court.

According to the court, a defection can only be established through the party membership register, a membership card and such members fulfilling all requirements of their membership in the party.

Recall that on May 30, the court had initially declared the lawmakers’ seats vacant pending the resolution of the ongoing legal challenge.

This preliminary order also restrained Rt. Hon. Martin Amaewhule from acting as the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly and barred the 24 other lawmakers, all opponents of Governor Seminalayi Fubara, from performing legislative functions.

The controversy began when allegations surfaced that the 25 lawmakers had switched allegiance to the APC, a move deemed hostile towards the state’s governance under the PDP leadership.