Court of Appeal President Moves to Resolve Rivers Crisis, Sets Up Special Panel

The President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, has moved to address the ongoing political crisis in Rivers State.

She has appointed a special three-member panel to handle all appeals related to the disputes in the state, including a key case involving Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the Rivers State House of Assembly.

Sources report that this special panel will be led by Justice Onyekachi Otisi. The first hearing has been set for Thursday, with Justices Misitura Bolaji-Yusuf and James Abundaga joining Justice Otisi on the panel.

On Monday, the Court of Appeal adjourned three related cases to the newly-formed panel. Justice Hamma Barka, who had initially presided over the appeals, noted that some of the defendants had not yet been served. Justice Barka asked the lawyer for the appellant, Paul Erokoro (SAN), about his preferred choice of service.

Erokoro, representing the Rivers State Government in its case against the Rivers State House of Assembly and other parties, assured the court that steps would be taken to serve those parties who had not received official notice. He mentioned that this particular appeal, referenced as CA/ABJ/PRE/ROA/CV/1211m1/2024, is one of the main cases assigned to the special panel due to the complex nature of the political issues in Rivers State.

Erokoro also informed the court that some respondents had recently provided legal documents to him, which would require his response. He requested that the hearing be postponed until November 14 to allow sufficient time for all necessary preparations.

Meanwhile, Ferdinand Orbih (SAN), representing the first and second respondents, and Dr. Joshua Musa (SAN), representing the third respondent through twelve, both agreed to the suggested date. Following this agreement, the court formally adjourned the hearing to November 14.

In addition to the main case involving the Rivers State Government, two other appeals will also be heard by the special panel on Thursday. One is a case filed by the Accountant General of Rivers State against the House of Assembly and ten other respondents, marked CA/ABJ/CV/1222m1/2024. The second is a case filed by the Action Peoples Party (APP) against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and twenty-eight other respondents, marked CA/ABJ/CV/1208/2024.