● Tonye Okurumo
The Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Victor Oko-Jumbo, has renewed his call for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a by-election to fill the 27 vacant seats created by the defection of members from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC). Speaking at a press conference in Port Harcourt on Friday, he emphasized that the legal barrier preventing the by-election has now been removed.
“This call has become pertinent as the legal impediment stopping INEC from conducting the by-election has now been removed,” Oko-Jumbo asserted, referencing the recent court developments that cleared the path for INEC to move forward.
The Speaker recounted how Martin Chike Amaewhule and 26 other lawmakers defected from the PDP on December 11, 2023, following an unsuccessful attempt to impeach Rivers State Governor Sir Siminalayi Fubara on October 30, 2023. “It is common public knowledge that Martin Chike Amaewhule and 26 other members defected without any justifiable cause,” he stated, underscoring that their departure from the party that originally sponsored their election necessitated the vacant seats.
Adding to the narrative, he highlighted that Amaewhule and his colleagues filed Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1681/2023 against INEC on December 13, 2023, to obstruct the by-election. This suit led to an order of interlocutory injunction restraining INEC from proceeding with the election process. “To frustrate INEC from conducting the by-election, Martin Chike Amaewhule and 26 others filed this suit and secured an injunction,” Oko-Jumbo explained. “However, after obtaining the order, they deliberately delayed further prosecution of their case at the Federal High Court in Abuja.”
Legal analyst, Barrister Ifeanyi Ugwu, noted, “It’s a classic example of using the judiciary to delay inevitable electoral processes. Now that the case is dismissed, INEC has no legal barrier.”
On October 30, 2024, Amaewhule and the others discontinued their suit, resulting in its dismissal. “The only impediment to INEC conducting the by-election was the injunction,” Oko-Jumbo clarified, noting that the suit’s dismissal also nullified the injunction. “Now that Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1681/2023 has been struck out, the order of interlocutory injunction is also spent.”
Civic leader Mrs. Amaka Nwachukwu commented, “This is a much-needed step for accountability in the Rivers State Assembly, and the Speaker’s insistence on a by-election is a call for transparency.”
Concluding his statement, Oko-Jumbo called on INEC to act without delay. “Accordingly, as the Rt. Honourable Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, I call on INEC to forthwith conduct a by-election to fill the 27 vacant seats,” he declared. GMTNewsng
