Justice Florence Fiberesima of the Oyigbo High Court in Rivers State has indefinitely halted hearing in the suit against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Professor Ngozi Nma-Odu, and the impeachment move against them.
Martin Amaewhule, the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, along with 26 other lawmakers and the House Clerk, filed the lawsuit to contest the impeachment process.
S. I. Ameh, SAN, the attorney representing Amaewhule and the 27 Assembly members, told the court that an appeal had already been filed when the subject was brought up in court on Wednesday.
He therefore urged the court, through an oral application, to halt further proceedings pending the outcome of the appeal.
Paul O. Orikoro, SAN, the claimants’ attorney, did not challenge the request.
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Additionally, Lawrence Oko-Jaja, SAN, who represented Oko Jumbo, Sokari Goodboy, and Orubienimigha Timothy, the defendants from the 28th to the 30th, did not object.
In her decision, Justice Fiberesima postponed the case sine die, stating that the appellate court should first address the problems raised because two distinct appeals had been duly filed.
The Speaker and 27 legislators were expressly prohibited by the ruling from presenting any impeachment notification or associated documents to the Chief Judge in order to form a panel to look into claims of egregious misconduct.
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