Meanwhile reacting to the court ruling the Caretaker Chairman of the All Progressive Congress in Rivers State, Chief Tony Okocha, said the APC would ask the National Judicial Commission to sanction Justice Danagogo.
He stated, “We wish to intimate Nigerians of the resurfacing of procured judgement in Rivers State. On Tuesday Rivers State people woke up to hear that one Justice Danagogo of the Rivers State high court granted with impunity an experte order to one Edision Ehie, recognising him as Speaker of Rivers State House of Assembly.
“Recall that the same Edision had approached a Federal High Court in Rivers State seeking to be declared as the Speaker of Rivers State House of Assembly in the case (and) argument has been taken and judgement reserved for January 2024.
“Surprisingly today on the same subject matter Justice Danagogo granted an experte order purporting to recognise this Edision as Speaker of the State House of Assembly. This is a fragrant abuse of court processes. It is an aberration for the judiciary to interfere in the law making process. As far as we are concerned it does not exist.
“The judge claimed that the case was filed by Edision on October 30, 2023 and assigned to him on November 1, 2023. For all this length of time if the subject matter required urgency, why did the judge wait till today December 12, 2023 to grant an experte.
“It is in the public glare that on Monday 27 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly who were elected under the PDP platform crossed over to the APC, citing irreconcilable crisis in the PDP, a move supported by section 109, 1 sub-G of the Constitution of Nigeria.”
Continuing, he said, “The defectors were received by APC Rivers yesterday. It is because of the palpable fear of that defection that brought about the procured order by Justice Danagogo. The Judge has contravene the NJC order on frivolous experte orders and has sanctioned judges that defile the orders.
“The reason for the judgement is to allow the governor to present the budget to the Assembly. We in APC will not seat and watch judges issue experte orders in flagrant disobedience of NJC orders. We are in clear knowledge that the reason for this affront is to allow the governor to present the 2023 budget to the Assembly.
The party said it would be “left with no option than to petition Justice Danagogo to the NJC if the judge does not reverse himself immediately.”
The Independent National Electoral Commission said it is waiting for the Rivers State Assembly Speaker to declare vacant the seats of the People Democratic Party lawmakers who decamped to the All Progressives Congress on Monday.
The national leadership of the PDP had said it would write to INEC to demand fresh elections to replace the 27 lawmakers.
Responding to this, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, on Tuesday said, “The procedure is for the presiding officer (Speaker) of the State Assembly to declare the vacancies and write officially to INEC about it. It is after such communication that INEC can act.”
