By Milcah Tanimu
The Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt, during a virtual hearing on Friday, addressed motions from Rt. Hon. Martins Amaewhule and other defected lawmakers challenging a Rivers State High Court order that restrained them from acting as legislators.
The court granted the appellants’ request to compile and transmit the records of appeal and accepted their brief of argument. An accelerated hearing for the case was also approved, along with a stay of further proceedings at the High Court. However, the court refused to stay the execution and set aside the lower court’s interim order, noting that such actions would effectively determine the appeal prematurely. Instead, the court ordered that the present status quo be maintained until the appeal is fully heard.
In a related motion seeking to set aside the lower court’s interlocutory injunction, the Court of Appeal also denied the request, emphasizing the need to maintain the current situation pending the appeal’s resolution. This means the defected lawmakers remain unable to act in their legislative roles until the appeal is decided.
The case has been adjourned to June 20th for further hearings. This ruling is crucial as it ensures the legal processes are respected, temporarily halting the actions of the defected lawmakers and preserving judicial order in Rivers State.