Rita Odafe
The lawsuit contesting the defection of 25 State lawmakers in Rivers State from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been moved to a different court.
The case has been relocated from Federal High Court 4 in Port Harcourt, presided over by Justice Steven Dalyop Pam, to Court 2 under the jurisdiction of Justice E. O. Obele.
Confusion arose among journalists and lawyers when they arrived at the court on Friday morning only to discover that the cases had been transferred to another court.
Notable Senior Advocates of Nigeria who had arrived at the court could not be found in the new courtroom, leading to the realization of the transfer after more than an hour of court sitting.
Following a petition by a defendant, Hon. Martins Amaewhule, the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Hon. Justice John Tsoho, ordered the cases to be moved to a different court.
The cases involve a suit filed by the BOOT Party and others as plaintiffs in suit number FHC/PHC/269/2024 and another suit by a Civil Society Organization in the state against Amaewhule and others regarding their defection to the APC.
During the court session on Monday, a petition by Martin Amaewhule addressed to the Chief Judge sought the reassignment of the case to a different court, leading to a halt in the hearing process.
Despite efforts by the plaintiff’s counsel to dismiss the petition, the Counsel for the defendants requested the court to adhere to the petition and halt further proceedings.
However, the presiding judge noted that the petitioner had not followed due process in presenting the petition and therefore decided to proceed with the hearing of motions for joinder.
