The Federal High Court in Port Harcourt has scheduled December 5 to begin hearing the lawsuit initiated by the factional Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Edison Ehie.
According to The PUNCH, his lawsuit aims to gain control of the state legislature.
Ehie declared himself as Speaker amid the Assembly’s crisis that arose when the original Speaker, Martin Amaewhule, and 23 other lawmakers attempted to impeach Governor Siminialayi Fubara.
Subsequently, Ehie filed a lawsuit seeking the court’s intervention to prevent Amaewhule from representing himself as Speaker or overseeing the House proceedings.
Previously, the court had instructed all parties involved to uphold the existing state of affairs pending the hearing and resolution of Ehie’s lawsuit.
Subsequently, Ehie initiated contempt proceedings against Amaewhule, alleging that his faction continued legislative activities despite the court’s order.
During Monday’s proceedings, a dispute arose between two attorneys regarding the representation of Ehie in the case.
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria,K.C.O. Njemanze, informed the court of his engagement to replace N.O. Akporuvweku, who initially handled the case.
However, Akporuvweku contended that he had not received any official notification of the change in counsel and asserted that he and his team remained the plaintiff’s legal representatives.
Meanwhile, Ferdinand Oshoke, counsel for the first and second defendants, urged the court to consolidate and expedite the hearing on all applications filed concerning the matter, emphasizing its relevance to the legislative arm of government.
Justice Phoebe Ayua adjourned the case until December 5 to allow Ehie’s lawyers to formalize their appearances and for all involved parties to properly serve legal documents on each other.
