Supreme Court Rejects Fubara’s Appeal Against 27 Lawmakers
http://www.newsportng.com.ng The Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal by Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, seeking to remove 27 lawmakers from the State House of Assembly who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
During Monday’s proceedings, a five-member panel led by Justice Uwani Abba-Aji ruled that the case had been overtaken by events. The court awarded N2 million in costs against the governor after his counsel, Yusuf Ali (SAN), withdrew the appeal.
Legal representatives for the lawmakers, including Wole Olanipekun (SAN) and Joseph Daudu (SAN), did not oppose the withdrawal but requested a dismissal rather than a mere striking out of the case.
Earlier, the Court of Appeal in Abuja had dismissed a similar appeal by Governor Fubara, ruling that he had no basis for the case after voluntarily withdrawing his opposition at the Federal High Court.
The appellate court also directed Fubara to recognize the Assembly’s leadership, present the state budget to them, and refrain from interfering in the House’s financial matters.
