The Rivers State Government has reiterated its stance that the former Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Martins Amaewhule, and 26 other lawmakers have lost their seats following their defection from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in December 2023.
In a statement released on Monday in Port Harcourt, the State Commissioner for Information and Communication, Warisenibo Joe Johnson, described the lawmakers’ recent claims regarding their status as members of the House as misleading and unfounded.
Johnson cautioned the public against being swayed by statements issued by the embattled lawmakers and their supporters, including members of the National Assembly who met in Abuja to express solidarity with the 27 former legislators.
“These dishonest characters found themselves in the Rivers State House of Assembly in 2023, but by their voluntary defection on the floor of the House on December 11, 2023, they effectively vacated their seats,” Johnson said.
The Commissioner also clarified the misinterpretation of the judgment delivered by Justice James Omotosho in the case of Rivers State House of Assembly v. National Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/1613/2023).
He emphasized that the ruling did not in any way alter the status of the 27 defected lawmakers or reinstate their legislative positions.
“Contrary to their claims, the judgment does not affect their status as former members of the House. Their defection was done publicly and documented during a live plenary session on December 11, 2023,” Johnson explained.
The Rivers State Government urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the National Judicial Council (NJC), the Chief Justice of Nigeria, the Inspector General of Police, and other relevant authorities to disregard what it described as a deliberate distortion of facts by the ex-lawmakers.
“We call on the President, the NJC, and all well-meaning Nigerians to dismiss the mischievous and calculated misrepresentation of facts regarding the legal status of these individuals,” Johnson stated.
The development adds a new twist to the ongoing political crisis in Rivers State, as the legal and political battle over the legitimacy of the state assembly members continues to unfold.
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