Wike Vs Fubara: Alarm Raised Over Alleged Plot to Tamper With Rivers Supreme Court Judgment

• Former deputy national publicity secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and political activist, Timi Frank, has raised concerns over an alleged plot to tamper with the Supreme Court’s judgment on the Rivers state political crisis
• Frank, in a statement, warned that some individuals loyal to a former Rivers state governor were attempting to manipulate the ruling by introducing issues related to lawmakers’ defection—an issue still being litigated at the appeal court
• According to Frank, the alleged move is aimed at inserting new elements into the judgment to influence ongoing legal battles concerning the legitimacy of certain lawmakers who defected

Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering political matters in Rivers state and Nigeria.

Port Harcourt, Rivers state - A former deputy national publicity secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and political activist, Timi Frank, has called on the Supreme Court chief justice and the panel of justices who heard the recent Rivers state case not to allow desperate attempts to tamper the original judgement.

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Frank alleged that there were plots by some persons loyal to a former governor of Rivers state to import the issue of defection, which is still at the appeal court, into the recent judgement to undermine the ongoing cases.

Raising the alarm through a statement sent to Legit.ng on Tuesday, March 4, Frank, who described the alleged move as a "desperate lobby to smuggle into the Judgment an aspect which was not decided" accused some loyalists of a former Rivers state governor as brains behind the move.

He said:

"There is an ongoing plot to doctor the Supreme Court Judgement on Rivers and insert issues of defection that were not litigated by the parties by the pro-Nyesom Wike group to help destroy the pending cases on defection before the appeal court and federal high court."

According to him, the issue of defection and legal battle to decide whether they were right or wrong is presently at the appeal court and federal high court, where Nigerians are waiting to see the judicial interpretation of the illegal act of cross carpeting at a time there was no division which was also backed by a court affidavit sworn to by the defected lawmakers who are allies of Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

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He said:

"We are calling on the Supreme Court Chief Justice and the Panel of Justices who heard the case to ensure that the desperate attempts of the Wike group do not taint their Judgement and that the issue of defection, which is still at the Appeal Court, is not imported into the judgement to undermine the ongoing cases. We are confident that the eminent jurist who delivered the Judgment knows the issues at stake and will not fail Nigerians by ensuring that a check is put on the Wike group's political madness and desperation, which is threatening constitutional democracy in Nigeria.

"I have just been reliably informed of a last minute desperate moves by former Gov.Wike and his lawyers working with some elements in the Supreme Court to use the ongoing writing of the Recently delivered Judgement of the Supreme Court on the issue of Rivers LGA election and presentation of Budget to smuggle an item which was never the substantive matter that the Supreme Court decided and which was never part of what was read in the open Court, the issue of the legality of the decampment of the Wike loyal lawmakers from PDP to APC at a time there was no crisis.

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"This desperate move, which will rubbish the integrity of the Supreme Court if not stopped by our respected jurist, will do irredeemable damage to our nation's apex and respected Court.

"The move is to insert over two pages of strange ruling on defection, knowing fully well that the illegal defection of the Wike group of lawmakers was not the subject matter before the Court, but rather on the issue of conduct of LGA election and Amaewhule's claim to speakership based on cases they filled even before their defection.

"What they want to push into the Judgment secretly was never part of the ruling of the lower courts or the Supreme Court. They are already celebrating, and my contact in the chamber of one of their lawyers has shown me a draft of what they are confident will be inserted today ahead of the release of the typed CTC of the judgment today or tomorrow."

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Rivers crisis: Fubara talks tough

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Governor Fubara said he is not afraid of anything including being impeached from office.

Fubara said the worst that can happen is to be impeached as governor of the oil-rich state.

He declared his readiness to “pay the supreme price if it is so required” to save the state from anti-democratic forces.

Source: Legit.ng