Ernest Chinwo in Port Harcourt
Leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and some civil society groups in Rivers State on Tuesday marched to the state High Court and the House of Assembly to protest against the continued refusal of the Speaker of the assembly, Adams Dabotorudima, to swear in two members of the assembly elected on the platform of the APC.
The protesters, which included civil society organisations, such as Niger Delta Civil Society Coalition, the Save Rivers Movement (SRM) and the Rivers Leadership Advancement Foundation (RIVLEAF), said they were protesting against what they referred to as the corruption by some members of the Rivers State Judiciary which has led to some suspect judicial actions and pronouncements that have stalled the swearing-in of Hon. Victoria Nyeche of Port Harcourt Constituency I and Hon. Andrew Miller of Opobo/Nkoro Constituency.
Addressing journalists later, the National Assistant Secretary of the APC, Hon. Oji Ngofa, said: “We are here to demonstrate our disgust and to protest against the rascality of the Rivers State Judiciary. The Rivers State Judiciary has been made like the legal caucus of the PDP and judgments that have been given are so partisan.
“So today, we came as a people that will no longer tolerate a judiciary that have been knocked down by the state government. The judiciary is meant for everybody; the Judiciary shouldn’t have any party coloration. The Judiciary should dispense justice to everybody equally.
“We will give you a few instances to buttress why we are here today. First, one Justice Enebeli of the Rivers State Judiciary has sat in judgment in a matter that the Appeal Court has discharged and given a ruling and that is the case involving Victoria Nyeche, the APC member-elect representing Port Harcourt Constituency 1. As we speak today, she has not been sworn in because a State High Court judge, Justice Enebeli has given an order that she should not be sworn in.
“That is somebody that has already been given judgment by the Appeal Court. It has never happened in our system, that a state High Court overruled the Appeal Court. We are demanding that he reverses that and that Victoria Nyeche be sworn in immediately.
“Secondly, we have another case involving Hon. Chidi Lloyd, that the former Attorney-General had already entered a nully and in law, once an Attorney-General enters a nully, you don’t reverse it, but the state government has reversed that and this same Justice Enebeli has given an order that Chidi Lloyd be arrested. Where does that happen? What sought of judiciary is this?”
