Sacked Rivers Lawmakers: Groups urge NJC to probe alleged leaked ruling

The Arewa Youth and Ethnic Youth Leaders have called on the National Judicial Council to investigate the circumstances surrounding the alleged leaked draft ruling by Justice Donatus Okoro of the Federal High Court, Abuja to be delivered on Monday, December 18
to give legal backing to the sacked pro-Wike members of the Rivers State House of Assembly already restrained by a court order from parading themselves as lawmakers.

The group recalled that a Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt last week gave an interim order, restraining the factional Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Martins Amaewhule, and his deputy, Hon. Dumle Maol, from forcefully gaining access into the Assembly complex, pending the hearing of the suit before it.

They also recalled that 27 members of the House of Assembly, led by Amaewhule, had on the floor of the House last Monday, announced their defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The leaders noted that the lawmakers, who are loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, cited the division within the hierarchy of the PDP at the national level as the main reason for their defection.

However, the leader Arewa Youth, Kabiru Yusuf in a statement Sunday on behalf of the Ethnic Youth Leaders, uncovered in an alleged leaked judgement prepared by the Justice Okorowo of Federal High Court, Abuja set to be delivered on Monday plans to give the pro-Wike Assembly members the legal backing as lawmakers and consequently begin impeachment proceedings against Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

“See the leaked draft of an alleged already written court ruling by one Justice Donatus Okorowo of Federal High Court 8 Abuja on an EXPARTE application secretly filled in the night by Pro wike former lawmakers which the Judge wants to deliver tomorrow been Monday where he wants to stop the declaration of their seat vacant (an action that have been done) and also give them the legitimacy to move in with DSS and police to start the illegal impeachment of Gov. Fubara .

“The draft was mistakenly shared yesterday by a principal officer of the pro-Wike group in their WhatsApp platform before hurriedly deleting it. The plan is to secure the Justice Okorowo ruling which is already written, deliver it tomorrow and serve Fubara impeachment notice Tuesday.”

He called on the NJC to, “investigate, intervene in this hatchet ruling by Okoro which does not have negative implication on the judiciary but the entire Nigerian democracy as it subverts the rule of law and abuse of court process of the highest dimension.

“This is also call for anarchy and brazen manipulation of for the judiciary, making the once respected last hope of the common man a cash and carry commodity. This kind of ruling if allows to go will establish and justify that might is right. NJC history and posterity beckons on you to act now and act quickly.”