Abuja Court prohibits INEC from conducting by-elections to replace 27 Rivers State lawmakers
Abuja Court prohibits INEC from conducting by-elections to replace 27 Rivers State lawmakers
Justice Donatus Okorowo of the Federal High Court in Abuja has prohibited the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from conducting by-elections to fill the seats of 27 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Neptune Prime reports that 27 lawmakers switched from the PDP to APC in the Rivers State House of Assembly earlier this week, thereafter, newly appointed Speaker of the House, Edison Ehie, announced that the seats of the lawmakers are vacant.
Furthermore, Justice Okorowo prohibited the defendants from disrupting the activities of the 27-member camp of the Rivers State House of Assembly, including the roles of speaker, deputy speaker, and members of parliament.
READ ALSO: New Rivers State Speaker declares seats of 27 lawmakers vacant over defection
The Judge restrained the Inspector-General of Police and the State Security Service (SSS) “from denying or refusing to provide security to the 27 lawmakers or withdrawing their security details.”
The court also scheduled further hearing for the case on December 28.
It was gathered that the Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara supports Mr Ehie, while the 27-member group led by Martin Amaewhule is loyal to Nyesom Wike, a former governor and current minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
To avoid any by-elections to fill their seats, the group of 27 lawmakers filed a request with the Federal High Court in Abuja to restrain the Rivers State House of Assembly, INEC, and the PDP from taking actions that could undermine their rights.
In addition, Mr Amaewhule and his group urged the court to prevent the SSS, the Inspector-General of Police, and the Clerk of the Rivers State House of Assembly from depriving them of their rights as lawmakers, including withdrawing police security.