Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, has clarified that the Supreme Court’s dismissal of Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s appeal concerning the leadership of the Rivers State House of Assembly does not address the issue of who is the authentic Speaker of the House.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, Falana stated that the court did not make any determination on the matter. “When an appeal is dismissed not on merit but on the basis of withdrawal by the appellant, the question of celebration doesn’t arise,” he explained.
Falana emphasized that the Governor instructed his lawyers to withdraw the appeal because it had become an “academic exercise” after the 2024 budget was passed into law. “The issues are no longer alive, and therefore, why do you want to waste the time of the court?” he added.
The appeal was dismissed by a five-man panel of the Supreme Court led by Justice Uwani Abba-Aji, with Fubara’s lawyer, Yusuf Ali, filing for its withdrawal.
Falana also addressed the ongoing crisis in the Rivers State Assembly, which erupted in 2023 after over 25 lawmakers defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). “Three members can carry out legislative functions, except when it has to do with impeachment of the governor,” he noted.
He further maintained that the 27 lawmakers who switched to the APC had lost their seats, as they were declared vacant when they defected from the PDP.