The Court of Appeal in Abuja has constituted a special three-member panel to handle political cases from Rivers State, with sittings scheduled to begin on Thursday, November 14.
This move follows the escalating legal tussles stemming from a rift between Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his predecessor, the current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
The feud has led to a surge of legal cases from the state, creating factions among political actors and resulting in conflicting judgments from courts of similar authority — an issue that has drawn criticism from both judiciary stakeholders and the public.
In an effort to streamline the resolution of these disputes, Court of Appeal President Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem appointed a special panel to oversee all appeals related to the political crisis in Rivers.
The panel, headed by Justice Onyekachi Otisi with Justices Misitura Bokaji-Yusuf and James Abundaga, will tackle cases that involve key political figures and factions within the state.
Among the appeals set to be heard is one filed by Governor Fubara and the Rivers State House of Assembly, alongside cases involving both the Peoples Democratic Party and the All Progressives Congress regarding the alleged defection of 27 lawmakers loyal to Wike from the PDP to the APC.
During proceedings on Monday, a panel of the court adjourned three appeals, including one filed by the Rivers State Government against the Rivers State House of Assembly and others, to be heard by the new special panel.
The presiding Justice Hamma Barka noted, “The appeal, marked CA/ABJ/PRE/ROA/CV/1211m1/2024, is among the Rivers matters for which a special panel was constituted.”
Senior lawyer Chief Paul Erokoro, representing the appellant, informed the court of plans to ensure that all respondents who had not yet been served would receive necessary documents before Thursday.
He also noted that he had just received some filings from the respondents and needed time to prepare his response.
Counsel for the first and second respondents, Ferdinand Orbih (SAN) and Dr. Joshua Musa (SAN), representing additional respondents, agreed to the adjournment request for November 14.
Two other cases—one by the Accountant General of Rivers State against the Rivers State House of Assembly and another by the Action Peoples Party against the Independent National Electoral Commission and others—were also adjourned to Thursday for hearing by the Otisi-led special panel.
The establishment of this panel aims to provide a clear and expedited resolution to the political disputes, marking a critical step toward restoring order amid Rivers State’s ongoing political upheaval.
PUNCH
