Court Decision Does Not Reinstate Defected Rivers Lawmakers
The Rivers State Government has clarified that the Court of Appeal’s recent decision did not reinstate Martin Amaewhule and 26 other lawmakers who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The state government argues that, by law, their seats became automatically vacant when they defected on December 11, 2023, as per Section 109(1)(g) of the Nigerian Constitution.
The Attorney General of Rivers State emphasized that the court’s ruling focused on the state’s 2024 budget rather than the lawmakers’ defection, and no judgment has reinstated their positions.
Dissatisfied with the Appeal Court’s decision, Governor Siminalayi Fubara has directed that an appeal be filed with the Supreme Court, alongside a request for a stay of execution of the Appeal Court’s judgment.