The Rivers State Government has dismissed claims that the Supreme Court has reinstated Martin Amaewhule and 26 others as members of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
Addressing a press conference in Port Harcourt on Monday night, the state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Dagogo Iboroma (SAN), clarified that the Supreme Court made no order whatsoever reinstating Amaewhule and the 26 others as members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, neither did the Supreme Court make any finding on their status as members of the state House of Assembly.
Iboroma therefore, called on the public to ignore the false narrative and propaganda being spread by Amaewhule and his lawyers on what transpired at the Supreme Court on Monday.
Giving full details of what happened at the Apex Court, the attorney -general said, “I was in court today (Monday), and witnessed all that transpired in SC/CV/1701/2024, governor of Rivers State versus Rivers State House of Assembly and 15 others.
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“Regrettably, after the court’s proceedings, there has been serial misrepresentation in social and electronic media grossly misrepresenting what transpired in court. It is important to trace the facts leading to SC/CV/1701/2024.”
He stated that the state government would have ignored the false narrative being spread by Amaewhule, his committee of friends and their lawyers, but had to put the record straight so as to correct the wrong impression and negative propaganda, deliberately being fed to unsuspecting members of the public on the matter and the actions of the apex court.
The commissioner said that on November 29, 2023, Amaewhule instituted a suit at the Federal High Court, Abuja, praying for 11 reliefs, adding that on December 11, 2023, while the suit was pending at the federal high court, Amaewhule and the 26 legislators defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), automatically losing their seats as members of the state House of Assembly.
Iboroma said the defection of Amaewhule and 26 others was not part of the issues put before the federal high court for determination, and was also not an issue for determination in the resultant appeals.
“Furthermore, before judgment was delivered in suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/1613/2023, Martin Chike Amaewhule and 26 others did not inform the court that they had defected from the PDP to the APC.
“Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/1613/2023, amongst others, were principally about the 2024 budget. We are in the year 2025, with a 2025 appropriation bill already passed and signed into law, and in operation.
“The Appropriation Law, 2024 is now totally spent and cannot be brought back into operation. The monies in the Appropriation Law, 2024, having been spent, cannot be recalled and spent again.
“The Appropriation Law, 2024 being spent by reason of its expiration, SC/CV/1701/2024 became merely academic and of no utilitarian value.
“The appellant, in keeping with the time-honoured practice of not wasting precious judicial time, filed a notice of withdrawal of his appeal and freely urged the court to dismiss his appeal. Accordingly, the court granted the prayer sought and dismissed the appeal. This is all that transpired.
“The Supreme Court made no order whatsoever, reinstating Martin Chike Amaewhule and 26 others as members of Rivers State House of Assembly, neither did the Supreme Court make any finding on their status as members of Rivers State House of Assembly.
“We call on members of the public to ignore the false narrative and propaganda being spread by Martin Chike Amaewhule and his lawyers on what transpired in the Supreme Court on Monday,” he added.
