Court Of Appeal President Acts To Address Rivers State Crisis, Forms Special Panel
In a significant move to tackle the ongoing political turmoil in Rivers State, the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, has established a special three-member panel to oversee all related appeals, including a pivotal case involving Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the state House of Assembly.
The panel, set to be led by Justice Onyekachi Otisi, will conduct its first hearing on Thursday, with Justices Misitura Bolaji-Yusuf and James Abundaga joining as members.
On Monday, the Court of Appeal deferred three related cases to this special panel. Justice Hamma Barka, who previously presided over the appeals, noted the absence of service to some defendants and inquired with Paul Erokoro (SAN), the lawyer for the appellant, regarding preferred service methods.
Erokoro, representing the Rivers State Government in its case against the House of Assembly, confirmed that efforts would be made to serve those not yet notified. He highlighted that this key appeal, referenced as CA/ABJ/PRE/ROA/CV/1211m1/2024, had been transferred to the special panel due to the complex political dynamics involved. He also indicated the need to respond to recent legal submissions from some respondents and requested a hearing date extension to November 14 for thorough preparation.
Both Ferdinand Orbih (SAN), counsel for the first and second respondents, and Dr. Joshua Musa (SAN), representing respondents three to twelve, supported the proposed adjournment. The court subsequently approved November 14 for the resumption of the hearing.
Additionally, the special panel will hear two other cases on Thursday: one filed by the Accountant General of Rivers State against the House of Assembly (CA/ABJ/CV/1222m1/2024) and another brought by the Action Peoples Party (APP) against INEC and twenty-eight respondents (CA/ABJ/CV/1208/2024).
