WATCH THE VIDEO HERE The Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, presided over by Justice Emmanuel Obile, has delivered a ruling on applications in Suit No: FHC/PHC/CS/25/2024, brought by the Labour Party (LP) against the Rivers State House of Assembly and others. The suit seeks to declare the seats of 27 lawmakers, who allegedly defected from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), vacant. During the ruling on January 21, 2025, Justice Obile rejected the applications by the 1st defendant (Rivers State House of Assembly), 2nd–28th defendants (27 lawmakers), and 29th defendant (PDP), which sought the court’s permission to call oral evidence and file pleadings. The judge held that the defendants failed to establish any conflict in the facts contained in the affidavits before the court to warrant granting the applications. Given the inability of counsels to agree on a hearing date, the court fixed March 11, 2025, for the hearing of the amended originating summons. The Labour Party, through its caretaker chairperson in Rivers State, Hilda Dokubo, filed the suit seeking to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct by-elections to fill the allegedly vacant seats, allowing the LP and other parties to participate. Counsel for the claimant, Clifford Chukwu, emphasized that the lawmakers had publicly announced their defection on various media platforms, including Channels Television and TVC, and even deposed to affidavits confirming the move. He argued that their actions constituted a voluntary relinquishment of their seats under the law.
Federal High Court Rejects Rivers 27 Lawmakers Evidence, As Judge Allows Only Cross-Examination In Defection Case
