Confusion In Court As Two Lawyers Represent Rivers Assembly In State Expenditure Case
A Federal High Court in Abuja witnessed confusion on Wednesday when two lawyers claimed to represent the Rivers State House of Assembly in a case seeking to halt state government expenditures.
The lawsuit, filed by the Rivers Assembly under Speaker Martin Amaewhule, aims to prevent Governor Siminalayi Fubara from accessing state funds until he resubmits the 2024 budget. However, during the court session, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Sebastian Hon, representing the plaintiffs, was unexpectedly joined by another lawyer, Sammie Somiari, SAN, who also claimed to represent the assembly.
Somiari announced his appearance based on a notice of change of counsel filed on August 5, asserting that Amaewhule no longer has the authority to represent the assembly. He argued that the suit was filed without proper authorization and sought to have the assembly’s name struck from the case. Somiari also introduced a motion to join Honourable Victor Oko Jumbo, the current Speaker of the 10th Rivers Assembly, as a co-plaintiff.
The situation became further complicated as multiple lawyers representing different parties, including Governor Fubara and the Central Bank of Nigeria, questioned the legitimacy of the counsels and the plaintiffs’ representation.
Justice Emeka Nwite, overseeing the case, acknowledged the complexities and granted a 10-minute recess for Hon to consult with his legal team. Upon resumption, Hon requested an adjournment to respond to the motions filed by the other parties.
The judge adjourned the case to August 30 for further hearing, directing all parties to file and respond to necessary documents within seven days.
