Rivers Assembly Alleges Plot to Secure Court Orders to Halt Legislative Activities

Rivers Assembly Alleges Plot to Secure Court Orders to Halt Legislative Activities

The Rivers State House of Assembly has raised the alarm over what it described as covert attempts to unlawfully obtain court injunctions aimed at stopping the legislature from carrying out its constitutional duties.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Petitions and Complaints, Enemi George, said intelligence available to the assembly indicated that “certain persons” were planning to procure restraining orders from some Rivers State High Courts outside the Port Harcourt judicial division.

According to the lawmakers, the alleged plot is intended to stall legislative activities, particularly ongoing proceedings linked to impeachment.

George said those behind the move were fully aware of constitutional provisions governing legislative processes and the jurisdiction of courts on impeachment-related matters.

The assembly cited Section 272(3) of the 1999 Constitution, which, it said, confers jurisdiction on the Federal High Court to determine whether the tenure of a member of a state house of assembly, governor or deputy governor has ceased or become vacant, subject to other constitutional provisions.

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Lawmakers also referenced Section 188(10) of the Constitution, which bars courts from entertaining or questioning proceedings or determinations of a State House of Assembly or any panel set up in relation to impeachment.

“These persons are also fully aware of judicial pronouncements on this matter, especially a recent decision of the Court of Appeal involving a similar ex parte order issued by a Rivers State High Court in violation of Section 272(3) of the Constitution,” the statement read.

“With the leave of the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, I call on those concerned to exercise restraint and refrain from acts inimical to the Constitution and the rule of law.”

George urged public officials who had already been served with notices of allegations of gross misconduct to respond accordingly, rather than resort to what he described as “subterranean moves” to undermine the process.

“All that is required is for the office holders who have been duly served with the Notice of Allegations of Gross Misconduct to respond item by item, instead of deploying clandestine efforts to subvert the law or use proxies to malign the Rivers State House of Assembly in the media,” he said.

The statement reaffirmed the commitment of the Rivers Assembly to constitutionalism and strict adherence to due process.

The latest development is linked to the lingering political crisis in Rivers State, stemming from a power struggle between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, now the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.

The dispute, which centres on control of the state’s political structure and key appointments, has repeatedly disrupted governance. Impeachment threats from a Rivers Assembly widely perceived to be loyal to Wike first emerged in 2023 and resurfaced in 2025, prompting President Bola Tinubu to declare a six-month state of emergency that suspended both the executive and legislative arms.

Although the emergency rule ended in September 2025 with Fubara’s reinstatement, the breakdown of the peace agreement has reignited impeachment proceedings against the governor and his deputy, whom the House has accused of gross misconduct.

Rivers Assembly Alleges Plot to Secure Court Orders to Halt Legislative Activities