Justice Florence Fiberesima of the Oyigbo High Court of the State, sitting in Port Harcourt, has adjourned the suit filed by Governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, and his deputy, Prof Ngozi Nma Odu, challenging their impeachment indefinitely.
Justice Fiberesima adjourned sine die after the proof of two separate appeals which have been entered.
She said the adjournment will allow the appeal court to first decide the suit.
The lead counsel to Martins Amaewhule and 26 members of the Assembly, S.I Amen, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, told the court on Friday, when the case came up for hearing, that an appeal had been entered by his clients.
Amen orally applied for the court to stop further hearing until the determination of the notice on appeal.
Paul Orikoro, SAN, lead claimant’s counsel, and Lawrence Oko-Jaja, counsel for defendants 28 to 30 (Victor Oko Jumbo, Sokari Goodboy, and Orubienimigha Timothy), did not oppose the oral application.
The Martin Amaewhule-led state assembly had begun impeachment proceedings against the Governor and his deputy.
The Assembly, which alleged gross misconduct, had served an impeachment notice on the governor, and his deputy had later forwarded a request to the Chief Judge of the state, Justice Simeon Amadi, to set up a seven-man panel to investigate the preferred misconduct.
Fubara and his deputy filed a suit challenging the impeachment proceedings. They also obtained an interim order stopping Chief Judge Amadi from receiving or granting the assembly’s request.
