Court Stops INEC From Conducting Fresh Election Into 27 Defected Rivers Lawmakers’ Seats

The Federal High Court in Abuja restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from conducting fresh elections to fill the seats of the 27 Rivers House of Assembly members who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Justice Donatus Okorowo gave the ruling on Friday, December 15, 2023, in an ex-parte motion moved by counsel to the defected lawmakers, Peter Onuh.

The judge also restrained the INEC, PDP, and House of Assembly from declaring their seats vacant and withdrawing their respective certificates of return pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.

Justice Okorowo equally gave “an interim order of injunction restraining all the defendants from interfering with or impeding in any way or attempting to interfere with or impede in any way the performance of the applicants’ official and legislative functions as the speaker, the deputy speaker, and members, respectively, of the Rivers State House of Assembly, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.

Justice Okorowo, therefore, adjourned the matter until December 28 to hear the motion on notice and ordered the applicants to undertake damages in the sum of N250 million.