BY OGORAMAKA AMOS /PORT HARCOURT
THE Rivers State Government has dismissed claims being peddled on social and electronic media to the effect that the Supreme Court has reinstated Martin Chike Amaewhule and 26 others as members of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
Addressing a press conference in Port Harcourt, the State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Dagogo Israel Iboroma, SAN, clarified that “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.”
Iboroma, therefore, called “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.
Giving full details of what happened at the Apex Court, he said, “I was in court today (Monday), and witnessed all that transpired in SC/CV/1701/2024, Governor of Rivers State V Rivers State House of Assembly and 15 others.
“Regrettably, after the court’s proceedings today, 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 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.
He said, “On the 29th day of November, 2023, Martin Chike Amaewhule & Anor instituted Suit No: FHC/ ABJ/CS/1613/2023 at the Federal High Court, Abuja,” wherein in their originating summons, they prayed for 11 reliefs. Iboroma further explained that “On the 11th day of December, 2023, while Suit No: FHC/ABJ/ CS/1613/2023 was pending at the Federal High Court, Abuja, Martin Chike Amaewhule & 26 others defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress, and automatically lost their seats as members of the Rivers State House of Assembly.”
He clarified that “In Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/1613/2023, the defection of Martin Amaewhule and 26 others was not an issue. Thus, it was not a question for determination. It was also not an issue for determination in the resultant appeals.
