APP vows to appeal court judgement on decamped 27 Rivers lawmakers

The Action Peoples Party, APP, has vowed to appeal the judgement of the Federal High Court declaring the decampment of 27 sacked Rivers State lawmakers as a pre-election issue.

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday dismissed a defection suit instituted by APP against the 27 former members of the Rivers State House of Assembly loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

The party, in a statement by its national chairman, Uche Nnadi, rejected the ruling, insisting that the former lawmakers remain sacked until a higher court rules otherwise.

He stated that the court ruling is against the constitution, noting that if the court says that the matter is a pre-election issue, then how can someone who’s yet to win an election be a legislator and as well defect?

Nnadi added that the party is already filing an appeal and that Oko Jumbo remains the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly.

He said: “So decampment is now a pre-election matter? That’s not what the Constitution says.

“The pending cases in that federal high court before Justice Omotosho were on trying to stop the National Assembly from taking over the functions of the Rivers State House of Assembly.

“No court has declared that the illegal decampment of the sacked lawmakers is valid. They can’t come through the back door. The matter is being appealed. And going by subsisting judgements of the courts, Oko Jumbo remains speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly.”