Rivers Assembly Passes Bills to Deny Governor Authority to Appoint Caretaker Chairmen

Rivers: Court Strikes out Suit Seeking to Declare Seats of 25 Assembly Members Vacant

News - Women's Perspective

A suit filed by the resigned factional Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Edison Ehie, has been struck out by a Rivers State High Court.

Ehie filed the charges against 25 Rivers Assembly lawmakers who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the wake of the political crisis between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike.

He filed the suit against the defected lawmakers over their continued sitting as members of Rivers State House of Assembly after their seats have been declared vacant.

Speaking through his lawyers, on Thursday Ehie issued a notice of discontinuance on the suit, with the judge thereafter striking out the suit.

This development is in line with the resolution pact brokered by President Bola Tinubu when he summoned the stakeholders involved in the crisis to Abuja.

The matter filed before Justice F. A. Fiberesima was tagged Suit No. PHC/3638/CS/2023 between Rt. Hon. Edison Ehie & Anor. v. Rt. Hon. Martins Chike Amaewhule & 24 Ors.

While I. Mac-Barango, Esq, appeared for the claimants, Ferdinand Orbih (SAN) and Emeka Onyeka, Esq. represented the defendants, while K. C. O. Njemanze (SAN) and K. I. Iduma stood for the Rivers State House of Assembly.

When the matter came up for the hearing of pending applications, Mac-Barango, Esq. drew the court’s attention to the Notice of Discontinuance filed by the plaintiffs in the matter.

He applied that the court should give effect to the Notice of Discontinuance.

Counsels to the defendants did not object to the said application, and based on the application by the claimant’s counsel, the suit was accordingly struck out by the court.

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