By Milcah Tanimu

The Rivers State House of Assembly, under the leadership of Speaker Rt. Hon. Victor Oko-Jumbo, has announced its decision to appeal the recent Court of Appeal judgment concerning the jurisdiction of the Rivers State High Court on suit number PHC/1512/CS/2024. Oko-Jumbo labeled the judgment a miscarriage of justice and stated that the Assembly’s legal team has been directed to escalate the matter to the Supreme Court.

During Friday’s session in Port Harcourt, Oko-Jumbo clarified that the Court of Appeal did not declare that Martin Amaewhule and 24 others had defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress. Nor did it recognize them as members of the Rivers State House of Assembly. The Speaker insisted that there cannot be two Houses of Assembly in Rivers State or any state in Nigeria, reaffirming that Amaewhule and his group are no longer legitimate members of the Assembly based on the previous declaration by Rt. Hon. Ehie Edison, which remains unchallenged in any court.

Oko-Jumbo called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a bye-election to fill the vacant seats in the Assembly. He urged the public to disregard the claims of Amaewhule and his 24 associates, asserting that they are no longer legitimate members of the Assembly.

Additionally, two bills, the Rivers State Transport Company Reform Bill 2024 and the Rivers State Emergency Management Bill 2024, passed their first reading in the Assembly.