The Federal High Court in Port Harcourt has scheduled April 16, 2025, to deliver its ruling on an application seeking to dismiss a defection case filed by the Labour Party (LP) against 27 lawmakers of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
The Labour Party is challenging the legality of the lawmakers’ seats, arguing that they defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) and should therefore vacate their positions.
During the hearing, counsel for the defendants, including Speaker Martins Amaewhule, urged the court to strike out the suit, citing a recent Supreme Court judgment that reinstated Amaewhule’s leadership of the Assembly.
Presenting the Certified True Copy of the Supreme Court’s ruling, the defense counsel argued that Governor Siminalayi Fubara, who initially raised the defection allegations, had since withdrawn the case at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
However, counsel to Labour Party, Clifford Chukwu, countered the argument, stating that the defection issue was a “collateral matter” in the Supreme Court case.
He asked the court to consider the evidence before it rather than dismiss the suit outright.
The Supreme Court had ruled on February 29 that, in the absence of clear and substantiated proof, no legal defection had taken place, maintaining the status quo in the Assembly.
Speaking to Newsmen after the court session, Chukwu affirmed that he had presented his case and that the court’s decision on April 16 would determine the validity of the defense’s arguments.
