BREAKING: Court strikes out defection suit against 27 Rivers Lawmakers

The Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has struck out a suit filed by the Labour Party, which sought to declare vacant the seats of 27 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly over their alleged defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Delivering the judgment on Tuesday, Justice Emmanuel A. Obile ruled that the court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the matter, citing a recent Supreme Court verdict which had already addressed the core issues raised in the suit.

According to the judge, the apex court’s ruling had conclusively determined the question of defection, making further judicial intervention unnecessary.

Martins Nwachukwu, an aide to Speaker Martins Amaewhule, one of the principal defendants, confirmed the ruling via a social media post.

During the hearing, counsel for the defendants presented a Certified True Copy of the Supreme Court judgment, which they argued validated the leadership of the Assembly under Amaewhule.

They also pointed out that Governor Siminalayi Fubara had withdrawn related allegations of defection in a separate case filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

On the other hand, Labour Party counsel Clifford Chukwu contended that the matter of defection was still a “collateral issue” that had not been conclusively dealt with. He urged the court to proceed with the case, citing the evidence already submitted.

Nonetheless, Justice Obile upheld the defence’s position and struck out the suit, bringing an end to the legal challenge by the Labour Party.