Lawyer prays court to stop Fubara from re-presenting 2024 budget
By Femi Ogunshola
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Dr Kayode Ajulo, has filed a suit on behalf of Rivers Elders seeking to stop Gov. Similalaye Fubara of Rivers from re-presenting the 2024 budget to the state House of Assembly.
He asked the court to stop such a move pending the hearing and determination of a suit filed before the Federal High Court, Abuja.
The lawyer in the suit with number No.: FHC/ABJ/CS/1718/2023 also called on the court to restrain the state House Assembly and the Speaker of the House from screening and confirming the commissioners appointed by Gov. Similaiya Fubara.
In the fresh suit, he listed as defendants, President Tinubu; the Attorney General of the Federation, Fubara, the Rivers State House of Assembly, the Speaker and the Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu.
The plaintiffs, led by a member of Rivers State House of Assembly representing Bonny State Constituency, Victor Jumbo, include: Sen. Bennett Birabi, Sen. Andrew Uchendu, Ann Kio Briggs, Emmanuel Deinma. among others.
Ajulo particularly urged the court to take cognisance of motion on notice attached with the suit and stop the holding of plenary sessions by the 27 members of the State House of Assembly out of the 32 members.
He urged the court to stop the 27 members of the state house of assembly from holding plenary for defecting from the ruling PDP to the APC without any justification or lawful excuse whatsoever.
He said the 27 lawmakers decided to defect from the PDP, the platform under which they were elected as honorable members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, to the APC.
He said the seats of the 27 lawmakers have been declared vacant by the other five lawmakers who refused to join them in the defection, adding that they had no right to return to the house pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.
The SAN urged all parties, including loyalists or their representatives, to maintain status quo ante pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Rivers State House of Assembly, led by Rt Hon. Martin Amaewhule, re-invited on January 15 to screen nine commissioners who resigned their positions in 2023.
The commissioners were, however, reconfirmed on Wednesday by the Rivers State House of Assembly.
It would be recalled that a group, the Convener of the Pan-Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), led by Chief Edwin Clark, had called for the declaration of the seats of the 27 lawmakers vacant.
The group insisted that the 27 lawmakers who defected to the APC without any known crisis in the PDP had no right to be members of the state house of assembly.(NAN)www.nannews.ng
Edited by Sadiya Hamza
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