The Supreme Courtroom has scheduled February 10, 2025, to listen to two separate fits filed by the All Progressives Congress, difficult the validity of the native authorities elections carried out in Rivers State in 2024.
The apex court docket additionally scheduled the identical date to listen to 5 different circumstances bordering on the political disaster in Rivers State.
The disaster within the state erupted in October 2023 when a faction loyal to the previous governor and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, tried to question Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
In response, Fubara stormed the Meeting advanced and sealed it off.
Subsequently, the lawmakers declared their defection to the APC from the Peoples Democratic Celebration, whereas Fubara dismissed their legitimacy and started participating with a three-member Meeting as a substitute.
The legitimacy of the three-member meeting, particularly within the passage of the 2024 finances, and screening of commissioner-nominees, amongst others, turned a authorized situation heard on the Rivers State Excessive Courtroom, Federal Excessive Courtroom, as much as the Courtroom of Enchantment.
The Supreme Courtroom consolidated 4 appeals: Rivers State Home of Meeting and others vs. Rivers State Authorities and 9 others; Rivers State Home of Meeting and others vs Rivers State Governor and 9 others; Rivers State Home of Meeting and others vs. RSIEC and 9 others and Rivers State Home of Meeting and others vs Accountant Common of Rivers State and 9 others, for simple listening to and judgment.
The date was decided by a five-member panel of Justices of the Supreme Courtroom, after addressing all preliminary points raised by the events concerned within the authorized disputes.
The Rivers State Impartial Electoral Fee fastened October 5, 2024, to conduct the native authorities election within the state.
Not glad with the association by the electoral physique and for violating the payments handed by the Martin Amaewhule-led state Home of Meeting, extending the tenure of the LG chairmen within the state, the state APC took the RSIEC to court docket.
The faction of the APC loyal to Wike, thereafter, withdrew from the election, whereas the faction loyal to the previous Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, participated.
The state chapter of the PDP loyal to Wike additionally kept away from collaborating within the train.
Nonetheless, Fubara insisted the election could be held, whereas most of his loyalists defected to the Motion Folks’s Celebration within the state to contest the election.
Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal Excessive Courtroom in Abuja, within the swimsuit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/987/2024, filed by the APC, issued an order restraining the Impartial Nationwide Electoral Fee from releasing the voter register to the Rivers State Impartial Electoral Fee for the conduct of the native authorities election.
Justice Lifu additionally barred the Inspector Common of Police and the Director Common of the Division of State Safety Companies from collaborating in or offering safety for any native authorities election in Rivers State.
Moreover, Justice Lifu barred RSIEC and the Rivers State Legal professional Common from utilizing or accepting the voter register from INEC for the elections.
The court docket’s resolution was based mostly on Justice Lifu’s discovering that RSIEC didn’t observe the situations precedent required for conducting such elections.
Nonetheless, the Courtroom of Enchantment, Abuja Division, overturned the decrease court docket’s resolution, ruling that it lacked jurisdiction to situation the orders in favour of the APC.
The election was held and swept by the APP, successful 22 chairmanship seats out of the 23 within the state.
Dissatisfied with the appellate court docket’s judgment, the APC filed an enchantment on the Supreme Courtroom in two separate circumstances, marked SC/CV/1106/2024 and SC/CV/1107/2024.
The APC, represented by Joseph Daudu (SAN) and Ogwu Onoja (SAN), urged the apex court docket to overturn the Courtroom of Enchantment’s resolution and reinstate the judgment of the Federal Excessive Courtroom.
Chris Uche (SAN) led the authorized group for the respondents.
After listening to motions for the 2 appeals, the panel of Justices, led by Justice Uwani Musa Aba-Aji, directed the events to file and change their respective briefs of argument earlier than the February 10 listening to date.
The five-member panel additionally consolidated 4 appeals for simpler dedication.
This was granted upon the request of the appellant’s counsel, Daudu (SAN), who represented the Rivers State Home of Meeting.
As well as, the court docket fastened February 10, 2025, for the listening to of SC/CV/1071A/2024, following the withdrawal of a cross-appeal filed on November 18, 2024, by the Rivers State Home of Meeting towards the Nationwide Meeting and 16 others.