A Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, is set to commence hearings on December 5, 2023, regarding a case brought forward by Edison Ehie, the representative of Ahoada East State Constituency 2 in the state House of Assembly. Ehie seeks to prevent Martins Amaewhule from overseeing the Assembly’s activities.
The presiding judge, Justice Phoebe Ayua, postponed the case until December to allow both parties to properly serve legal documents to each other, following their reported difficulties in doing so.
During the recent court session on Monday, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, K.C.O. Njemanze, appeared to replace the plaintiff’s counsel. This substitution request was opposed by N.O Akporuvweku, the lead counsel to the applicant, maintaining their representation as the defendants for the plaintiff.
In the midst of these legal proceedings, Ferdinand Oshoke, counsel to the first and second defendants, urged the court to consolidate and expedite the hearing of all applications related to the matter, emphasizing its relevance to the legislative branch of government.
The conflict between Amaewhule and Ehie emerged following a fire incident in the Assembly’s chamber on October 29, followed by an attempted impeachment of Governor Siminalayi Fubara on October 30.
Ehie is aligned with Governor Fubara, while Amaewhule supports former Governor Nyesom Wike, now the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), who has been implicated in the attempted impeachment of the governor.
Fubara and Wike’s fallout occurred within six months of Fubara assuming office. Despite various speculations, concrete reasons for their sudden rift have yet to surface.
