The Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, is set to hear a pivotal case today concerning the ongoing crisis in the House of Assembly. The court's decision will significantly impact the status of the sacked council chairmen whose expired tenures were controversially extended by the Martin Amawule-led Assembly before the governor appointed caretaker chairmen.
Previously, the appellate court ordered all parties to maintain the status quo in a suit involving Martin Amawule and 24 others against Victor Oko-Jumbo and five others. Amawule and his group are seeking to overturn a High Court order that recognized Oko-Jumbo as the Speaker. Justice Charles Wali had ruled that Amawule and his colleagues must cease presenting themselves as Speaker and lawmakers, declaring all laws they enacted, including those affecting councils, null and void until the matter is resolved.
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The crux of the dispute lies in the claim by Oko-Jumbo and others that Amawule and his associates forfeited their seats by defecting from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC). As the Appeal Court reconvenes today, it has cautioned all involved to refrain from actions that might prejudice the case's outcome.
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