Court Dismisses Suit Seeking to Stop Swearing in of Wike as FG Directs Bayelsa CJ to Swear in Wike

A Federal High Court in Owerri, Imo State, has thrown out a suit instituted by the Rivers State Government seeking to stop the swearing in of the governor-elect, Barr. Nyesom Wike on May 29.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State and the Attorney General of Rivers State, Worgu Boms, throuugh their lawyer, Belolisa Nwafor, sought an order to stop the May 29 handover on grounds that there was no Chief Judge in Rivers State.

In his ruling, the Administraive Judge of the Federal High Court Owerri, Justice S.M. Shuaibu, held that Owerri is not a territorial jurisdiction of the case.

Shuaibu also said that by Section 19 of the Federal High Court Act, only Port Harcour has the power to hear and determine the suit seeking to stop the governor-elect from being sworn in on May 29.

Meanwhile, counsel to Nyesom Wike, and his deputy, Emmanuel Aguma, told newsmen that the case was an abuse of court process.

“The court said it has no territorial jurisdiction to hear the matter bearing in mind that the principal parties in the case, that is the governor and the governor-elect are all in Port Harcourt and that the plaintiffs, that is APC and others are all in Port Harcourt. The court ruled today that they did not have the territorail jurisdiction to hear the matter. The fact that the order was not granted is a plus for the Nigerian juducial system,” Aguma said.

Also, Wike said moves by Governor Chibuike Amaechi to stop his swearing in was childish.

He said this in his reaction to the ruling of the federal high court Owerri over the plan to stop his swearing in. He described the plan as another way to cause crisis in the state. 

Wike also alleged that Amaechi gave lawyers the sum of N300 million to secure the order stopping his hand over and inuaguration on May 29.

He said: “Amaechi gave lawyers the sum of N300 million and he assured them that he must get the order and that is why he has boasted that our state has no money and that he will see how I am going to run the government.”

He advised the governor to stop comments that were capable of causing harm to the incoming administration of Gen. Muhammadu Buhari.

Meanwhile the Federal Government has directed the Chief Judge of Bayelsa State to swear in Nyesom Wike on May 29 in the absence of a Chief Judge in Rivers State.