Rivers crisis: Falana reacts to Supreme Court judgement on Martin Amaewhule-led assembly

• the judgement ends the controversy surrounding the position of the 27 lawmakers, who had been embroiled in a prolonged legal and political battle with the governor.

Nigerian lawyer and human rights activist Femi Falana has weighed in on the ruling of the Supreme Court regarding the crisis rocking the Rivers State House of Assembly.

Recall that Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, in 2024, declared the seats of 27 lawmakers led by Martin Amaewhule vacant following their defection from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to the All Progressives Congress, APC.

However, the Court of Appeal, in July 2024, annulled the expulsion of the lawmakers loyal to the immediate past governor of the state and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

Not satisfied with the judgement, the governor approached the Supreme Court to appeal the judgement.

On Monday, the apex court dismissed the appeal after the governor’s lawyer withdrew the case, stating that it had been overtaken by events.

According to reports, the judgement ends the controversy surrounding the position of the 27 lawmakers, who had been embroiled in a prolonged legal and political battle with the governor.

Addressing journalists after the ruling, Ken Njemanze a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, stated that the lawmakers could now fully assume their roles in the state assembly.

However, in an interview with Channels TV on Monday night, Falana insisted that Amaewhule-led Rivers State House of Assembly remain sacked and may never be reinstated.

He stressed that “once you decamp, you automatically lose your seat.”

According to Falana, the only case on the matter is currently pending in the Port Harcourt judicial division of the Federal High Court.

“The case was earlier adjourned to Monday, 17th February, for them to justify why they should be parading themselves as lawmakers after jumping from their party to another,” he said.

According to him: “The Supreme Court made it clear in this case that if you defect when your party has not broken down, you have lost your seat. There was no factionalisation in the party when they decamped.

“If you are saying that the PDP now has two chairmen, two national secretaries, and parallel officers at the national level, then you can say, ‘Oh, our party has been factionalised, I can now move.’ But that was not the case with the PDP.”