Amaewhule, 24 others: PDP lawyers ‘fight’ over representation in court

By Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt

A Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has adjourned to August 21 to rule on who has legal rights to represent the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in case filed by the BOOT Party seeking to sack Martins Amaewhule and 24 other members of Rivers House of Assembly

Justice E. O Obele adjourned adjourned the case to 21st August hear the suits filed by BOOT Party and some Civil Society Organizations in the state over the eligibility of the Martin Amaewhule-led lawmakers to continue as members of the Rivers House of Assembly after legal fireworks from the two lawyers who claimed to be representing the PDP.

The judge adjourned to decide on the rightful lawyer to represent the PDP as the party is seeking to be joined in the suit.

Our correspondent who has been following the case reports that Boot Party in the suit is challenging the eligibility of Amaewhule and 24 other members of the Rivers House of Assembly to continue functioning after they allegedly defected from the PDP to the All Progressive Congress (APC) and were welcomed into the party at a well televised fanfare at Polo club in Port Harcourt.

However, the hearing of the case has been unable to go on because of the disagreement over who will represent the PDP in court in the past two court sittings.

However, when case came up again on Wednesday, July 17, the national legal adviser of PDP, Kamaldeen Ajibade, SAN, sought to resolve the issue of legal representation of the party and asked the court to stop Joshua Musa, SAN, who is representing the Rivers State branch to stop his appearance for the PDP.

Ajibade further asked the court to discontinue all processes filed by Musa on behalf of the PDP even though he was hired by the State branch.

He argued that he remained the sole representative of the party in the suit and referred the court to an affidavit of joinder presented by Musa, especially paragraph two where the deponent, one Kingsley Chukwu affirmed that he had the mandate of the national party to join the matter.

Ajibade ,PDP national legal adviser argued that the two judgements from a federal high court as presented by Musa never deprived the national legal adviser of the sole right to oversee the legal affairs of the PDP.