The Court of Appeal in Abuja has constituted a special three-member panel to handle political cases from Rivers State, with sittings scheduled to begin on Thursday, November 14.
This move follows the escalating legal tussles stemming from a rift between Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his predecessor, the current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
The feud has led to a surge of legal cases from the state, creating factions among political actors and resulting in conflicting judgments from courts of similar authority, an issue that has drawn criticism from both judiciary stakeholders and the public.
In an effort to streamline the resolution of these disputes, Court of Appeal President Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem has appointed a special panel to oversee all appeals related to the political crisis in Rivers.
The panel, headed by Justice Onyekachi Otisi with Justices Misitura Bokaji-Yusuf and James Abundaga, will tackle cases that involve key political figures and factions within the state.
Among the appeals set to be heard is one filed by Governor Fubara and the Rivers State House of Assembly, alongside cases involving both the Peoples Democratic Party and the All Progressives Congress regarding the alleged defection of 27 lawmakers loyal to Wike from the PDP to the APC.
During proceedings on Monday, a panel of the court adjourned three appeals, including one filed by the Rivers State Government against the Rivers State House of Assembly and others, to be heard by the new special panel.
