Court Reserves Judgment in Rivers State Political Disputes

A Special Court of Appeal Panel in Abuja has reserved its judgment on several high-stakes political appeals involving Rivers State. The three-member panel, headed by Justice Onyekachi Otisi, reached this decision after all parties presented their final arguments on the appeals challenging rulings by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The appeals, consolidated for efficiency, center on multiple contentious rulings by Justice Lifu. In one of the key cases, he barred the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from releasing the voters’ register to the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, effectively stalling the state’s local government elections, which have since proceeded.

Another significant appeal involves members of the Rivers State chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), allegedly loyal to Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory. Justice Lifu had issued a restraining order, temporarily preventing the national PDP leadership from dissolving the recently elected state executive of the party. This ruling has now been brought under review.

Adding further complexity to the proceedings, a dispute arose in court over representation for the PDP. Two senior lawyers independently announced they were representing the party. J.Y. Musa appeared for the faction aligned with the PDP’s acting National Chairman Umar Damagum, while B.F. Folurunsho claimed he was appointed by the party’s National Legal Adviser, asserting his role as the rightful legal counsel.

The judgment in these appeals has been reserved, with Justice Otisi’s panel now set to deliberate and deliver a decision in the coming weeks.