A High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has granted the faction of the state’s Speaker of the House of Assembly, Edison Ehie, permission to preside over the activities of the legislative arm of the state.
According to the Court, Ehie can go ahead and preside over activities in the Assembly as Speaker until the determination of a motion before it.
In a suit filed under No. PHC/ 3030/CS/2023, which was prepared by D.I. Iboroma, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), and others, Ehie prayed the court to order the pro-Wike faction led by Marins Amaewhule to stop entering the state assembly complex until the burnt hallowed chamber is fully renovated by the government.
Ehie also prayed to the court to give him lawful access to take over the speakership of the state assembly until the matter was dispensed.
He further asked the court to order Amaewhule to stop parading himself as the Speaker of the State House of Assembly.
Delivering judgement on Tuesday, the presiding judge, Justice M.W. Danagogo, in an ex parte motion, granted an interim order to the requests of the applicant, ordering Amaewhule and others to stop making use of the assembly premises.
The Court also held that Ehie is the only one lawfully permitted to preside over the Rivers State Assembly as its speaker.
Also, the court held that if the matter turned out to be frivolous, the Amaewhule-led faction would pay the sum of N50 million as damages to Ehie.
News About Nigeria recalls that a crisis broke out between Wike and Fubara after the hallowed chambers of the Rivers State House of Assembly was set ablaze by suspected political thugs in the state, following a move by the state house to commence an impeachment process on the Leader of the House, Hon. Edison Ehie, and the state Governor, Siminalayi Fubara.
