Twist As Appeal Court Victory Of Amaewhule, 24 Pro-Wike Lawmakers Tears APC Apart

The Appeal Court judgment reinstating Martins Amaewhule and other pro-Nyesom Wike lawmakers as members of the Rivers State House of Assembly has divided the Rivers APC on Thursday.

Chief Tony Okocha, Chairman of the Rivers State APC Caretaker Committee and an ally of Wike, welcomed the judgment, stating that justice had been served. “The grey areas that have led Rivers into a litany of litigation have been sorted out. Justice was served. The reasoning adduced by the venerated Justice of the Court of Appeal, under which stood the bedrock of their unanimous decision, is very sound and unimpeachable,” Okocha commented.

In contrast, the camp loyal to former Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, disagreed. APC Publicity Secretary, Mr. Darlington Nwauju, emphasized that the judgment did not change the fact that the 25 pro-Wike lawmakers had defected from the PDP to the APC. Nwauju urged the parties to respect the rule of law and consider approaching the Supreme Court if necessary. “We urge parties in dispute to respect the path of the rule of law and constitutionality and approach the highest court if they deem it expedient,” he said.

Nwauju also condemned the protest on June 25, 2024, during which an improvised explosive device was detonated, describing it as “infantile, illogical, and grossly irresponsible.” He added, “Today’s ruling does not vitiate the fact that the 27 Assemblymen did defect from the PDP to the APC.”

The state government remained silent on the judgment, with the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Joseph Johnson, not responding to calls or messages seeking comment. The state Chairman of the PDP, Aaron Chukwuemeka, was also unavailable for comment.

However, the National Legal Adviser of the APC, Prof. Abdulkareem Kana, praised the appeal court’s verdict, noting that it was not surprising. Kana explained the distinction between political and legal defection, highlighting the procedural steps required for a legitimate defection. “What people don’t understand is that there is a political defection and there is a legal defection. A person may politically defect and may not legally do so,” he said. He questioned the procedural validity of the lawmakers’ defection, emphasizing the need for formal resignation and acceptance processes. Kana pointed out that the parliamentarians must write to the speaker to indicate their interest in defecting, but in this case, the speaker was among those defecting.