The Court of Appeal in Abuja has set up a dedicated three-member panel to address political cases originating from Rivers State, with hearings set to start on Thursday, November 14.
This decision comes in response to the rising number of legal conflicts linked to the ongoing dispute between Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, who is now the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.
The clash has triggered a wave of lawsuits from the state, causing divisions among political figures and resulting in inconsistent rulings from courts of equal authority—an issue that has faced scrutiny from judicial stakeholders and the public alike.
To streamline the handling of these cases, Court of Appeal President Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem appointed a special panel to manage all appeals connected to the political tensions in Rivers.
The panel, led by Justice Onyekachi Otisi and joined by Justices Misitura Bokaji-Yusuf and James Abundaga, is set to handle cases involving prominent political figures and factions within the state.
Among the appeals scheduled for review is one submitted by Governor Fubara and the Rivers State House of Assembly, along with cases featuring both the Peoples Democratic Party and the All Progressives Congress. These cases concern the alleged defection of 27 lawmakers loyal to Wike from the PDP to the APC.
On Monday, a court panel postponed three appeals, including one brought by the Rivers State Government against the Rivers State House of Assembly and others, which will now be addressed by the newly appointed special panel.
The presiding Justice Hamma Barka noted, “The appeal, marked CA/ABJ/PRE/ROA/CV/1211m1/2024, is among the Rivers matters for which a special panel was constituted.”
Senior lawyer Chief Paul Erokoro, representing the appellant, notified the court about plans to ensure that all respondents who had not yet been served would receive the required documents by Thursday.
He added that he had just obtained some filings from the respondents and would need time to prepare his reply.
Counsel for the first and second respondents, Ferdinand Orbih (SAN) and Dr. Joshua Musa (SAN), who also represented other respondents, concurred with the request to postpone the hearing until November 14.
Two other cases—a suit by the Accountant General of Rivers State against the Rivers State House of Assembly and one by the Action Peoples Party against the Independent National Electoral Commission and others—were also postponed to Thursday for a hearing by the special panel led by Justice Otisi.
This panel was set up to ensure a swift and decisive resolution to the political disputes, marking an essential move toward restoring stability amid Rivers State’s ongoing political challenges.
