A mild drama played out at the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal on Thursday as two senior lawyers, Mr. B. F. Folurunsho and Mr. J. Y. Musa, clashed over the case seeking to sack 27 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly loyal to Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
The controversy began when the appellate court’s special panel, led by Justice Onyekachi Otisi, called up the appeals for hearing.
The court had scheduled 11 appeals involving different parties in the state, including an appeal by the Rivers State Government to stay execution of a judgment mandating Governor Siminalaye Fubara to re-present his 2024 budget proposal to the pro-Wike faction of the State Assembly.
Both Folurunsho and Musa announced their appearances for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), but Musa claimed he was mandated to withdraw the appeal, while Folurunsho denied receiving such a directive.
The court revealed that it received a letter from the PDP indicating that it did not authorize the appeal and applied to discontinue the case.
Justice Otisi queried the lawyers about their briefs, with Musa claiming he was briefed by the Alhaji Umar Damagum-led executives and Folurunsho stating he was assigned by the National Legal Adviser. The court ultimately ordered the lawyers to resolve the issue with the PDP.
“The issue of which counsel that has been briefed should be clarified by the 29th Respondent (PDP) and the court notified. This is not an issue this court can delve into at this time,” Justice Otisi held, adjourning some appeals to January 23, 2025.
Additional appeals related to the crisis in Rivers State were revealed by Mr. Goddy Uche, SAN, counsel for the Rivers State Government. The court granted an adjournment to consolidate the matters, scheduling the next hearing for November 22.
The Rivers State House of Assembly has been embroiled in a crisis, with 27 members loyal to Minister Nyesom Wike facing potential removal.
