Stakeholders under the auspices of the Rivers Restoration Movement (RRM) has accused the camp of the state Governor, Siminalayi Fubara of twisting the recent Supreme Court’s judgement to avoid implementing it.
RRM in a statement signed on Thursday by its Director-General, Johnson Georgewill and its Secretary, Mrs Sarima Akpata, described what it called the deliberate misinterpretation of the judgement as vexatious, misleading and infuriating.
The stakeholders congratulated Speaker Martins Amaewhule and 26 others on their victory and maintained that the Supreme Court’s ruling had given life to the judgement delivered by Justice Omotosho at the Federal High Court and that of the Appeal Court.
“This clearly means that the withdrawal has given life to Justice Omotosho’s Judgement of the Federal High Court and the consequent victory of Matins and 26 Others at the Court of Appeal that clearly states that the 2024 budget was illegal because Oko Jumbo and his team do not exist in law.
“It is on this premise that RRM, it’s affiliate groups and majority of Rivers people are calling on the Rivers State House Assembly led by Matins Amaewhule to rise up and act on the judgement of the Court of Appeal by ensuring the police are made to enforce all laws”.
RRM said it was shameful and dishonorable that the custodian of the law in the state was encouraging his appointees to disobey orders of court through misinterpreting valid court judgement.
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The group said it was also worried that even with the clear statement by the court of Appeal, the governor’s team still went ahead to appoint members of the Rivers State House of Assembly Service Commission that had been screened by the Oko Jumbo-led team.
“For us, we have vowed to join hands with the House Of Assembly members to ensure people who disobey this Appeal court judgement are arrested because we run a constitutional democracy”, RRM said.
The group called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the international community , the Chief Justice of Nigeria, senior lawyers and the Inspector-General Of Police to rise up and defend democracy.
RRM said: “It is a pity that for the first time, a simple Judicial process that has been withdrawn at the Supreme Court thereby given life to the Appeal Court ruling will be disobeyed.
“The big question is simple, if the Governor has immunity, do other aides of the Governor that disobey valid court judgements also enjoy same immunity from the law? The Inspector General of Police should enforce all known laws, especially as regards the Appeal Court Judgement that clearly declared Rt Hon Matins Amaewhule as the Speaker”.
While tanking the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja for standing on the path of justice, the group said the day of reckoning was close for the betrayers of Wike.
But the Rivers State Government insisted that the Monday’s Supreme Court’s judgement did not reinstate Martins Amaewhule as the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
Reflecting on the apex court judgement, Iboroma, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in Rivers State, Dagogo Israel Iboroma, SAN, said he attended the court proceedings and lamented that the real judgement had been misrepresented in various platforms.
He said: “Regrettably, after the court’s proceedings today, there has been serial misrepresentation in social and electronic media grossly misrepresenting what transpired in court. It is important to trace the facts leading to SC/CV/1701/2024.
“On the 29th day of November, 2023, Martin Chike Amaewhule & Anor instituted Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/1613/2023 at the Federal High Court, Abuja. Here are copies of their originating summons containing the 11 (eleven) reliefs claimed by Martin Chike Amaewhule and others.
“On the 11th day of December, 2023 while Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/1613/2023 was pending at the Federal High Court, Abuja, Martin Chike Amaewhule & 26 others defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress and automatically lost their seats as members of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
“In Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/1613/2023, the defection of Martin Amaewhule and 26 others was not an issue. Thus, it was not a question for determination. It was also not an issue for determination in the resultant appeals.
“Furthermore, before judgment was delivered in Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/1613/2023, Martin Chike Amaewhule and 26 others did not inform the court that they have defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress”.
Iboroma said the suit amongst others was principally about the Appropriation Law 2024, a.k.a 2024 budget.
He said: “We are in the year 2025 with a 2025 Appropriation Bill already passed and signed into law and in operation.
“The Appropriation Law 2024 is now totally spent and cannot be brought back into operation. The monies in the Appropriation Law 2024 having been spent cannot be recalled and spent again.
“The Appropriation Law 2024 being spent by reason of its expiration, SC/CV/1701/2024 became merely academic and of no utilitarian value.
“The appellant in keeping with the time honoured practice of not wasting precious judicial time, filed a notice of withdrawal of his appeal and freely urged the Honourable Court to dismiss his appeal. Accordingly, the Honourable Court granted the prayer sought and dismissed the appeal. This is all that transpired.
“The Supreme Court made no order whatsoever reinstating Martin Chike Amaewhule and 26 others as members of Rivers State House of Assembly, neither did the Supreme Court make any finding on their status as members of Rivers State House of Assembly.
“We call on members of the public to ignore the false narrative and propaganda being spread by Martin Chike Amaewhule and his lawyers on what transpired in the Supreme Court today.”