An important verdict is yet to be delivered by the Appeal Court in Port Harcourt in a legal dispute brought forth by Anabs Sara-Igbe and others against a previous ruling made by Justice Chinwendu Nworgu of the Rivers State High Court.
The previous ruling had dismissed their case against President Bola Tinubu, Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Martin Amaewhule, and two others citing lack of jurisdiction.
The three-judge panel, led by Justice Elfreda Oluwayamisi-Dawodu, has opted to reserve the judgement for a later undisclosed date. This decision was made following the adoption of final written arguments by the parties involved.
During the adoption proceedings, Wilcox Agberetor, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, representing the claimants, pushed for the appeal to be granted, proposing that the matter be reassigned to a different judge by the Chief Judge of Rivers State.
On the contrary, K.C Njemanze, also a Senior Advocate of Nigeria representing the House of Assembly, urged for the dismissal of the appeal.
Counselors for President Tinubu and Governor Fubara did not provide briefs on the case, and no legal representation was present for the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, during the hearing.
The claimants initially lodged a case in the Rivers State High Court seeking clarification on the Nigerian Constitution regarding Tinubu’s directive to the governor to present the 2024 budget to 25 lawmakers led by Amaewhule, despite their declared vacant seats.
Justice Nworgu had previously dismissed the matter due to lack of jurisdiction while hearing applications for substitutive service against Amaewhule, the Rivers State House of Assembly, and the PDP.
Speaking to the press outside the Appeal Court building, Sara-Igbe reiterated their pursuit for clarity on the law concerning the President’s eight-point resolution and the eligibility of the twenty-seven lawmakers led by Amaewhule, even after switching political allegiances.