A Federal High Court in Port Harcourt is set to announce its decision on April 16, 2025, regarding a case brought by the Labour Party (LP) in Rivers State concerning the alleged defection of the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, along with 26 other individuals.
Naija News reports that the presiding judge, Justice Emmanuel Obile, postponed the proceedings after the legal representatives for both sides presented their final written submissions in response to a new application from Ken Njemanze, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), representing Amaewhule and the others.
Njemanze requested the court to amend their previous motion to strike out the defection suit against Amaewhule and the others, seeking instead a dismissal of the case.
He supported this request by referencing a recent Supreme Court ruling that clarified the lawmakers’ legitimacy, arguing that not dismissing the suit would effectively contradict the Supreme Court’s decision.
While Njemanze’s verbal request faced no opposition from the Labour Party’s counsel, Clifford Chuku, he maintained that the matter of defection was a secondary issue in the Supreme Court’s ruling. Consequently, he urged the court to reject the defendant’s application.
According to Daily Post, Chuku also pointed out that the affidavit submitted by the defendants was signed by a lawyer whose name is included in the suit, which he argued contravenes legal standards. He called upon the court to consider the case based on its substantive merits.
After hearing arguments from both sides, Justice Obile scheduled the case for a ruling on the motion for April 16, 2025.
