The State High Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has issued an interlocutory injunction preventing lawmakers led by Speaker Martins Amaewhule from continuing to sit and represent themselves as members of the state House of Assembly.
Justice C.N. Wali, presiding over the court, granted the order in a suit filed by pro-Governor Siminilayi Fubara lawmakers, led by their Speaker, Victor Oko-Jumbo, along with Sokari Goodboy and Orubienimigha Timothy. The suit names 25 lawmakers as defendants, with the Rivers Governor, Attorney-General, and Chief Judge listed as additional defendants.
On May 10th, the court had previously issued a similar order restraining the governor, the attorney-general, and the chief judge from engaging with the affected lawmakers. The new interlocutory injunction, granted on May 29th, reinforces this order and schedules the next court hearing for July 1st, 2024.
The court's order explicitly prohibits the 25 lawmakers from holding themselves out as members of the Rivers State House of Assembly and from conducting any legislative business. It also restrains the governor, attorney-general, and chief judge from interacting with these lawmakers, whose legislative seats have been declared vacant since December 13th, 2023, pending the outcome of the substantive suit.
