Pro-Wike lawmakers’ seats remain vacant – G60

The Opposition Federal Lawmakers Coalition, known as G60, has affirmed that the declaration of the seats of 27 pro-Wike lawmakers as vacant remains valid and unchallenged by any court in Nigeria. This clarification was issued by Hon. Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, the Coalition’s spokesperson on Thursday, same day the Court of Appeal ruled on the matter.

The Court of Appeal on Thursday dismissed the ex parte order given by the Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt on May 10, 2024, stopping Martin Amaewhule from parading himself as Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly.

Hon. Ugochinyere, a constitutional lawyer turned lawmaker, emphasised that Thursday’s Appeal Court ruling did not annul the earlier declaration that the seats of the 27 sacked lawmakers, who are loyal to the former Governor of Rivers State and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, are vacant. The initial declaration followed a suit by Hon. Victor Oko-Jumbo, who subsequently became the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly.

On May 10, Justice Charles Wali of the Rivers State High Court issued an interim injunction restraining the sacked lawmakers from presenting themselves as Assembly members after their defection from the political party that had sponsored their elections. This order, linked to the legal challenge posed by Hon. Oko-Jumbo, was upheld by the High Court, barring the pro-Wike lawmakers from legislative activities and accessing the Assembly complex.

However, the Appeal Court, responding to a suit filed by Amaewhule, ruled that the Rivers State High Court lacked the jurisdiction to issue such an order. Despite this, Hon. Ugochinyere pointed out that the appellate court did not address the validity of the lawmakers’ decampment or the subsequent declaration of their seats as vacant.

“The Court of Appeal ruling should not be misinterpreted. The pro-Wike lawmakers’ seats remain vacant as the Appeal Court did not rule on the legality of their decampment or the declaration of their seats. The court merely stated that the Federal High Court is the appropriate body to adjudicate on such matters, thereby ruling against the proceedings of the Rivers State High Court,” Ugochinyere stated.

He further stressed that the legal battle continues, and the status of the vacant seats remains a matter of ongoing litigation. “The actions of the House, formerly led by Hon. Amaewhule, in declaring the seats vacant, have not been invalidated by any court. Hon. Oko-Jumbo remains the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, and the legal proceedings concerning the declaration of vacant seats are still in progress.”

Additionally, Ugochinyere addressed the issue of local government chairmen, whose tenures had expired, clarifying that their terms could not be extended in a democratic system. “There’s no provision for tenure extension in a democratic setting; it is akin to a coup against constitutional governance,” he concluded.

This statement by the G60 Coalition highlights the unresolved nature of the legal disputes surrounding the vacant seats and reinforces the Coalition’s stance on maintaining the integrity of legislative processes within the Rivers State House of Assembly.