Appeal Court Constitutes Special Panel For Rivers Political Disputes, Hearings Begin Thursday

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has set up a special three-member panel to address the growing number of political cases arising from Rivers State.

This move comes amid escalating legal battles tied to a rift between Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, now the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.

Due to the feud, the state has witnessed a surge of cases and conflicting judgments, creating factions and prompting concerns among judiciary stakeholders and the public over the state’s political stability.

To streamline the resolution process, Court of Appeal President Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem appointed the special panel, chaired by Justice Onyekachi Otisi, with Justices Misitura Bokaji-Yusuf and James Abundaga, to oversee all appeals linked to the Rivers political crisis.

Among the cases the panel will tackle is an appeal filed by Governor Fubara and the Rivers State House of Assembly. Other cases include matters involving the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC), specifically addressing the alleged defection of 27 lawmakers loyal to Wike from the PDP to the APC.

During a session on Monday, a court panel adjourned three Rivers-related appeals to be heard by the new special panel.

The appeal, marked CA/ABJ/PRE/ROA/CV/1211m1/2024, is among the Rivers matters for which a special panel was constituted, presiding Justice Hamma Barka announced.

Chief Paul Erokoro (SAN), representing one of the appellants, informed the court of efforts to serve all respondents who had not yet received necessary documents before Thursday’s proceedings.

Erokoro also noted he had just received filings from some respondents and required time to prepare a response.

Counsel for the first and second respondents, Ferdinand Orbih (SAN) and Dr. Joshua Musa (SAN), representing additional parties, supported the adjournment to November 14.

Two other cases—one by the Accountant General of Rivers State against the Rivers State House of Assembly and another by the Action Peoples Party against the Independent National Electoral Commission—were also deferred to Thursday for hearing by the Otisi-led special panel.

The formation of this panel represents a decisive effort to bring clarity and speed to the resolution of political disputes in Rivers State, offering a path toward restoring order amid the state’s intensifying political conflict.