Rivers crisis: APC faults court order validating Ehie as Speaker

• A State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt and presided over by Justice M.W. Danagogo had on Tuesday, declared Edison Ehie as the authentic Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly

The All Progressives Congress, APC, in Rivers State has faulted the court order that restrained Martins Amaewhule and Dumle Maol from parading themselves as Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly.

A State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt and presided over by Justice M.W. Danagogo had on Tuesday, declared Edison Ehie as the authentic Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly.

Reacting to the development, the Chairman of the Caretaker Committee of the APC in Rivers State, Tony Okocha, described the order as an abuse of court process.

Addressing the media on Tuesday, Okocha stated that the order made by Justice Danagogo was targeted at granting Governor Siminalayi Fubara the opportunity to present the N800 billion budget to four House of Assembly members, a development which he said was in defiance of the warning of the National Judicial Commission, NJC.

He warned that the APC in the state will not watch anyone harass, intimidate or humiliate its members.

“Today, Rivers State people woke up to hear that one Justice Danagogo of the Rivers State High Court, granted with impunity, an ex parte order to one Honorable Edison Ehie, recognizing him as Speaker, Rivers State House of Assembly.

“It wil be recalled that the same Edison had approached a Federal High Court in Rivers State, seeking for be declared as Speaker.

“In the case in the issue, arguments had been taken and judgement reserved for January 2023.

“Surprisingly today on same subject matter, Justice Danagogo granted an ex parte order our outing to recognize Honorable Edison as Speaker of Rivers State House of Assembly.

“This is fragrant abuse of court processes. The Judge claimed that the case which was filed by Honorable Edison on 30th of October, 2023 and assigned to him on the first of November 2023, for all this length of time, if it was urgent why did the judge wait till today December 12, 2023 to grant an ex parte order?”

He threatened that the judge will be petitioned to the NJC if the judgement is not reversed immediately.

Okocha, who is also the Rivers State representative in the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Management Board, advised Fubara to refrain from actions that may escalate the political tension in the state orchestrated by his party, the PDP.