By Sam Akanimo
The Fubara administration says Rivers State High Court neither declared nor affirmed Martin Amaewhule as Speaker of the state House of Assembly.
The state’s Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Dagogo Israel Iboroma, SAN, made this declaration in Port Harcourt, the state capital on Tuesday night.
According to him, the certified true copy (CTC) of court judgment, which he displayed, validates the position of the Fubara administration on the matter.
Accordingly, Iboroma is also urging media practitioners to desist from giving interpretations to court judgements by fiat, emotional or other shades of persuasions.
Rather, he is advising that they should first obtain the judgement in order to read it thoroughly to gain proper understanding or at best, seek competent legal advice before going to press.
He gave the counsel after obtaining the certified true copy (CTC) of the Monday court judgment in Port Harcourt.
The commissioner was restarting his earlier position that there was no court ruling that ever declared or affirmed Amaewhule and 26 others as members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the state House of Assembly.
Iboroma said on Monday, “I briefed the press and made the point that there is a misrepresentation of the judgement of the High Court of Rivers State in Suit No. DHC/20/CS/2024 in social, print, and electronic media.
“My position has been confirmed and vindicated by the Certified True Copy of the court order in Suit No. DHC/20/CS/2024.”
He stated that a court order embodied the enforceable decisions of a court, adding that in this case in focus, the enforceable orders of the court will necessarily entail the specific pronouncements of the court.
He listed the three orders of the court in the judgement to include: “That this Suit be and is hereby dismissed/struck out for want of jurisdiction.
“That the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) be and is hereby joined as 4th defendant.
“That the claimants’ case be and is hereby dismissed for lacking in merit.”
Iboroma further said, “contrary to the false claims and misrepresentation in social, print and electronic media, the court did not make a declaration that Amaewhule is the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, neither did it make a declaration that Amaewhule and 26 others are members of the House and PDP.
“If it were so, it would have been embodied in the court orders which have been circulated to you all and displayed by me here for the purpose of clarity.”
Iboroma regretted that by the deliberate misrepresentation of Monday, the court was painted in bad light and the public misled with such misinformation.
“Whatever finding of fact that is not included in the court order is an Obiter Dictum, which has no binding force.
“Once again, I respectively urge the media to desist from giving any interpretation to any judgement without first reading the content of the judgement and seeking legal advice”, the attorney-general added.
