By Funso Alarape
Friday June 28, 2024
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The Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Hon. Justice John Tsoho, has ordered the transfer of the cases challenging the defection of the 25 state lawmakers in Rivers State from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to the All Progressives Congress, APC.
Tsoho ordered that the cases be transferred from Federal High Court 4, Port Harcourt, presided over by Justice Steven Dalyop Pam, to Court Two headed by Justice E. O. Obele.
The CJ ordered the transfer of the case following a petition by a defendant in the matter, Hon. Martins Amaewhule, demanding that the cases against him be transferred to another court.
The cases are one instituted by the BOOT Party and others as plaintiffs in suit number FHC/PHC/269/2024 and another by civil society organisations in the state against Amaewhule and others, all on the defection of the defendants to APC.
When the court resumed on Monday for hearing, it was confronted with a petition signed by Martin Amaewhule addressed to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Hon. Justice John Tsoho, seeking the case to be reassigned to another court.
The presiding judge, Justice Steven Dalyop Pam, who read the petition in the open court, had noted that the petitioner, Amaewhule, was praying to the CJ of the High Court to stop the hearing process following the petition.
When the petition was read, counsel for the plaintiff, BOOT Party, Mr Reuben Wanogho, informed the court that the petition was aimed at arresting the ongoing case and urged the court to ignore it.
But counsel for the 1st to 25th defendants in the suit, Ferdinand Orbi, denied knowledge of the petition by his client and prayed the court to adhere to the petition and stop further proceeding if the letter was addressed to the CJ of the court.
However, the presiding judge, Justice Pam, noted that in the first instance, the petitioner (Amaewhule) has no motion, or counter affidavit before him and that he is not yet known in the case.
PDP has failed Rivers people — Fubara
Meanwhile, the Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminialayi Fubara, said the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has failed the people of the State in the face of the lingering political crisis.
Fubara said the state is currently relying on what it can do based on truth instead of party politics.
The governor stated when he received a delegation of the Senate Committee on Privatisation and Commercialization, led by its Chairman, Senator Orji Uzo Kalu, at the Government House in Port Harcourt on Wednesday.
Fubara said the state would no longer be held back by party affiliation, but would instead stand firm on its own soil to defend democracy.
He said: “In our State today we are no longer doing party. We are doing a movement, so you don’t blame me if I don’t go to the side of the party too much.
“The party has failed us here, so what we are doing here is to stand with our two legs on the soil of Rivers State, so that we can defend democracy.”
Fubara told members of the committee to factor in the interest of Rivers State as they recommend the privatisation and commercialisation of public companies, saying that when the State buys stakes in such companies, it can be protected and supervised to be viable.
He said: “I will also appeal to you that in this process of privatisation, anything that has to do with our own State here that needs to be privatised, the Rivers State Government will be interested. Because you can’t come here and own our property when we have the resources to have shares or to acquire some portion of it.
“So, as a committee, if there is anywhere you can support us; if they is anyone that is still available, let us know, and let us get the details so that we can own it.
“It is only when we own it that those assets can be protected. It is only when we own it, that is when those assets become viable to the State, and also become viable to the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
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