Rivers Crisis: APC To Petition Judicial Council Over Ex-Parte Order Baring Pro-Wike Speaker From The State Assembly

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers state has revealed that it will petition the Nigerian Judicial Council (NJC) to sanction Justice M.W. Danagogo for granting an ex-parte motion, preventing the state House of Assembly’s factional Speaker, Martin Amaewhule, access into the State Assembly premises.

TrackNews Media had earlier reported that a High Court in Port Harcourt confirmed Edison Ehie as the authentic speaker of the Rivers state House of Assembly.

In its Tuesday ruling, the court restrained Amaewhule and Dumle Maol – allies of former Rivers Governor, Nyesom Wike from parading themselves or interfering with the activities of Edison Ogerenye Ehie as speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly.

However, reacting to the ruling, the acting chairman of APC in Rivers State, Tony Okocha, said that the party would not comply with the court order.

Okocha disclosed that the party would write the Nigerian Judicial Council to sanction Justice Danagogo for granting the ex-parte order.

The acting party chairman said, “We wish to intimate Nigerians of the resurfacing of procured judgement in Rivers State. 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 Edision Ehie, recognising him as Speaker of Rivers State House of Assembly.

“Recall that the same Edision had approached a Federal High Court in Rivers State seeking to be declared as the Speaker of Rivers State House of Assembly in the case (and) argument has been taken and judgement reserved for January 2024.

“Surprisingly today on the same subject matter Justice Danagogo granted an experte order purporting to recognise this Edision as Speaker of the State House of Assembly. This is a fragrant abuse of court processes. It is an aberration for the judiciary to interfere in the law making process. As far as we are concerned, it does not exist.”

Okocha, however, said that the party will be “left with no option than to petition Justice Danagogo to the NJC if the judge does not reverse himself immediately.

“We as a party, APC, with an overwhelming majority in the house, will not tolerate intimidation, harassment and threatening of our members whatsoever and however guise. We will not comply with the order because you cannot place something on nothing. We will not allow illegality to stand. It is procured, and we will not allow it to happen.”