13th December, 2023
By Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt
The Rivers state chapter of APC has described the court order restraining Martin Amaewule faction of the Rivers state Assembly from siting by Justice Monima Danagogo as a fragrant abuse of Court process.
The Caretaker Chairman of Rivers APC, Tony Okocha said this in a statement in Port Harcourt yesterday while reacting to the Court judgment recognising Edison Ehie, a loyalist of Governor Siminalayi Fubara as the authentic Speaker of the House.
The Court had also in the judgment ordered the Amaewule faction loyal to Wike to stop sitting. The ruling followed the defection of 27 lawmakers loyal to Wike to the opposition All Progressives Congress, APC on Monday.
However, Okocha said the APC party would allow any intimidation of its members as the new lawmakers defected to the party.
He blasted the judgment, referring to it as “a jankara judgment” accusing the judge of bias and threatening to report the judge to the NJC.
“You are witnesses to the return of the era of jankara judgment in Rivers state…the said Justice Danagogo is the younger brother of Chief Tammy Danagogo who currently serves as Chief of Staff to the Governor”.
“We know this is a ploy to allow the Governor to present the budget to the four lawmakers, and we will not sit and allow this to happen.
Okocha threatened that the party would petition the National Judicial Council, NJC if the Judge didn’t retrace his step.
The APC Caretaker Committee Chairman also called on Governor Fubara to stop heating the politics of the state.
He also said the 27 Lawmakers must be allowed to do their job without intimidation despite their defection to APC.
Governor Siminalayi Fubara presenting budget 2024 to Four Lawmakers led by Edison Ehie factional Speaker.
2) Tony Okocha, Caretaker Committee Chairman of the Rivers All Progressives Congress APC