JUST IN: Appeal Court reserves judgement in appeals over Rivers crisis

The Special Court of Appeal Panel handling political cases in Rivers State has reserved its judgment in the consolidated appeals challenging a ruling by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja. The three-member panel, led by Justice Onyekachi Otisi, announced that the judgment would be delivered after the involved parties presented their final submissions and adopted their briefs.

One of the appeals pertains to the Rivers local government election. Justice Lifu had earlier issued an order preventing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from releasing the voters’ register to the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) for the elections, which have already taken place.

In another matter, Justice Lifu ruled in favor of a faction within the Rivers State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), aligned with Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike. The ruling blocked the national PDP leadership from dissolving the newly elected executives in the state.

Additionally, two prominent lawyers have appeared on behalf of the PDP in a separate case seeking to oust the 27 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly loyal to Wike. J.Y. Musa represents the executive led by Umar Damagum, while B.F. Folurunsho has been designated by the PDP’s National Legal Adviser to handle the case.

The court’s forthcoming decision in these critical political cases is expected to have significant consequences for the governance and leadership structure in Rivers State.