The political camps of Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, and his predecessor, Barrister Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, will on February 10 lock horns in 5 separate instances instituted towards one another on the Supreme Court docket.
The 2 camps on Monday shifted their authorized battles over irreconcilable variations regarding Rivers State issues to the apex court docket, the place 5 totally different instances had been discovered to have been filed towards one another and subsequently fastened for February 10 for dedication.
A five-member panel of the apex court docket, led by Justice Uwani Musa Aba-Aji, ordered an adjournment within the instances to allow the events to file and serve the mandatory court docket paperwork within the separate appeals.
For ease of dedication, nevertheless, the court docket ordered the consolidation of 4 of the appeals, following a request to that impact by the appellants’ counsel Joseph Daudu, SAN, who represented the Wike camp.
The 4 appeals the court docket consolidated for ease of listening to are: SC/CV/1174/2024, between Rivers State Home of Meeting and others towards the Rivers State Authorities and 9 others; SC/CV/1175/2024, between Rivers State Home of Meeting and others towards the Rivers State Governor and 9 others; SC/CV/1176/2024, between Rivers State Home of Meeting and others towards Rivers State Unbiased Electoral Fee, RSIEC, and 9 others; and SC/CV/1177/2024, between Rivers State Home of Meeting and others towards the Accountant Common of Rivers State and 9 others.
Earlier, following a request for the withdrawal of a cross-appeal filed on November 18, 2024, in SC/CV/1071A/2024, between Rivers State Home of Meeting and others towards the Nationwide Meeting and 16 others, Justice Aba-Aji introduced that listening to has been fastened for February 10, 2025.
Justice James Omotosho of the Federal Excessive Court docket in Abuja had in a judgment delivered on January 22, 2024, faulted the presentation of the 2024 funds to 4 members of the State Home of Meeting loyal to the governor.
Omotosho had then ordered the governor to re-present the funds to the Martin Amaewhule-led faction of the meeting loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
Flowing from the judgment of Justice Omotosho, a sister court docket, additionally within the Abuja division, presided over by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, had ordered the stoppage of the discharge of allocations from the federal authorities to Rivers State till the governor offered the funds earlier than the Amaewhule-led meeting.
Nevertheless, whereas the Court docket of Enchantment in Abuja affirmed the judgment of Justice Omotosho, it upturned that of Justice Abdulmalik on the grounds of grave injustice within the findings and selections.
Equally, the Court docket of Enchantment, in one other judgment, upturned the judgment of Justice Peter Lifu, additionally of the Federal Excessive Court docket, Abuja, which had dominated towards the conduct of the October 5, 2024, native authorities council election on the grounds that due strategy of Rivers State legislation on native authorities elections had not been adopted.
At as we speak’s proceedings, about 50 Senior Advocates of Nigeria, SANs, represented the 2 camps, together with a retinue of different junior legal professionals.
The camp of Governor Fubara was led by Chris Uche whereas that of Wike was anchored by Joseph Bodunde Daudu.
