The political factions of Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his predecessor, Barrister Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, are set for a major clash in the Supreme Court on February 10, 2025, with five separate cases brought against each other escalating their ongoing legal disputes.
On Monday, both camps filed five distinct appeals over unresolved issues related to Rivers State governance. The cases, now scheduled for determination on February 10, will be heard by a five-member panel of the Supreme Court, headed by Justice Uwani Musa Aba-Aji. This follows an earlier request by Joseph Daudu, SAN, representing Wike’s faction to consolidate four of the appeals for streamlined hearings.
The consolidated appeals include SC/CV/1174/2024, SC/CV/1175/2024, SC/CV/1176/2024, and SC/CV/1177/2024, all involving the Rivers State House of Assembly and various parties, with the Rivers State Government, the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), and several other entities as respondents.
The legal battle has intensified in light of previous rulings, such as one from Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, who criticized the submission of the 2024 budget to a faction of the assembly aligned with Governor Fubara. Justice Omotosho directed the governor to resubmit the budget to Martin Amaewhule’s faction of the assembly, which is aligned with Wike. Furthermore, another court order from Justice Joyce Abdulmalik sought to halt federal government allocations to Rivers State until the budget was submitted to the Amaewhule-led assembly.
Though the Court of Appeal upheld Justice Omotosho’s judgment, it reversed Justice Abdulmalik’s order due to procedural errors. Additionally, the Court of Appeal overturned a previous ruling by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, which had opposed holding the local government council elections in October 2024.
At the Supreme Court hearing, the two factions were represented by a contingent of nearly 50 Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs), with Chris Uche leading Governor Fubara’s camp and Joseph Bodunde Daudu representing Wike’s faction.
The February 10 showdown will be a crucial moment in the ongoing political and legal battles that have gripped Rivers State, as both factions seek to assert their control over the state’s governance and political landscape.