The Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has ordered the parties involved in the ongoing House of Assembly crisis to maintain the status quo.
This order was issued in the case CA/PH/198/2024, brought by Hon. Martin Chike Amaewhule and 24 others (Appellants) against Rt Hon. Victor Oko-Jumbo and five others (Defendants).
Amaewhule and his group sought to overturn an interlocutory injunction from a High Court in Port Harcourt, which allowed Oko-Jumbo to continue as the leader of the state assembly.
Justice Charles Wali of the State High Court had previously ruled that Amaewhule and 24 others should stop presenting themselves as speaker and lawmakers in the state legislative assembly. He also declared all laws passed by Amaewhule and his group null and void pending the resolution of the matter.
In a virtual sitting on Friday, the three-man Appeal Panel—comprising Hon. Justice Jimi Olukayode Bada, Hon. Justice Hamma Akawu, and Hon. Justice Balkisu Bello Aliyu, urged the parties to maintain the status quo and adjourned the case to July 20, 2024.
The panel also instructed that no actions should be taken that might affect the merit of the case and that notice of appeal be served to the defendants before the adjourned date.