*Two Lawyers Appear For CSO In Suit Against Amaewhule, 24 Others
THE Chief Judge (CJ) of the Federal High Court (FHC), Justice John Tsoho, has ordered the transfer of the cases challenging the defection of 25 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) from Federal High Court 4, Port Harcourt, presided over by Justice Steven Dalyop Pam, to Court 2, headed by Justice E. O. Obele.
This was even as a mild drama played out in court on Friday, June 28, in a suit filled by some Civil Society Oganisations (CSOs) against the factional speaker of the defected lawmakers, as two lawyers argued over who would represent the PDP, which, along with APC, applied to be joined in the matter.
The CSOs are praying the court to declare the lawmakers’ seats vacant, following their defection from the PDP to the APC.
Justice Tsoho order followed a petition by a defendant in the matter, Martins Amaewhule, a ‘former/factional speaker’ of the Assembly, demanding that the cases against him by the BOOT Party and others, in suit number FHC/PHC/269/2024, and another by the CSOs in the state against him and others, regarding their alleged defection to APC, be transferred to another court.
When the court resumed on Monday, June 24, the presiding Judge, Justice Steven Dalyop Pam, read out a petition signed by Amaewhule, praying Justice Tsoho to stop the hearing process and reassigned the case to another court.
But BOOT Party’s Counsel, Mr. Reuben Wanogho, told the court that the petition was aimed at arresting the case, urging the court to ignore it.
In response, Counsel for the 1st to 25th defendants, Ferdinand Orbi, though denied knowledge of his client’s petition, however, prayed the court to adhere to the petition and stop further proceeding if the letter was addressed to the FHC CJ.
Justice Pam held that in the first instance, Amaewhule had no motion or counter-affidavit before him and was, therefore, not yet known in the case.
