Court dismisses Fubara-backed suit against Amaewhule, 26 lawmakers
The Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd), has been criticised for ordering naval personnel to the residence of the suspended Deputy Governor of the state, Prof. Ngozi Odu, and forcibly removing three vehicles.
The Guardian gathered that the naval officers, allegedly acting on the instruction of the Sole Administrator, carried out the operation in a commando-style raid, taking away two Toyota Hilux vehicles and one Toyota Hiace Bus.
The action took place in the early hours of Friday, April 25, and has since sparked condemnation statewide.
Reacting, the Senior Special Adviser on Media to the Rivers State government, Hector Igbikiowubo, confirmed that only one Hilux bus was retrieved for operational purposes because the current administration does not have enough vehicles.
But sources close to the government countered Igbikiowubo’s claim, noting that three vehicles were forcefully removed from the deputy governor’s residence.
Speaking, the spokesperson of Democracy Watch Nigeria, Vincent Chimene Wopara, said the development marks a new low in the ongoing disregard for due process and democratic norms under the current administration.
He said the action was a targeted provocation, intended to intimidate and humiliate the office of the deputy governor, which remains a constitutionally recognised institution.
He called on Nigerians, civil society organisations, and the international community to take note of the growing trend of militarisation and impunity in Rivers State, saying: “It is imperative that those in positions of authority act within the bounds of the law and uphold the dignity of democratic institutions.
“The people of Rivers State deserve governance rooted in law, not in brute force.”
In a similar development, pensioners and workers in the state have decried the non-release of the monthly approved N2 billion payments for gratuity and the stoppage of palliative vehicles put in place by suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara to cushion the effects of fuel subsidy removal.
The Secretary of Pensioners Union in Rivers State, Dr Joseph Agbo, alleged that the monthly funds released for gratuity payments by Fubara have been stopped since the sole administrator resumed office.
He lamented that the development has affected the pensioners, causing them pain. He disclosed that some have fallen sick while others are feared dead.
MEANWHILE, a Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has dismissed a suit filed by the Rivers State Government led by Fubara, Victor Oko-Jumbo and two others, against the suspended Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, and 26 other lawmakers.
The plaintiffs filed a suit challenging the legitimacy of Amaewhule and the 26 lawmakers following their alleged defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
When the matter came up in court, counsel to the lead claimant applied for an adjournment. This application was opposed by counsel to the respondents, and the court, presided over by Justice Emmanuel Obile, agreed with the respondents’ argument.
Delivering judgment on the matter, Justice Obile declined jurisdiction, stating that the Supreme Court had already determined the issue in a separate case.
