48 HOURS after Truce, Damian Okoro, the Counsel for Governor Siminalaye Fubara, is yet to withdraw a suit filed to restrain the Rivers State House of Assembly from impeaching his client.
News Point Nigeria had reported that after weeks of dramatic twists in Rivers State, the political gladiators in the oil-rich South-South state reached a truce on Monday after a meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Aso Villa in Abuja.
The meeting had in attendance Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, who is now the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Also at the meeting were ex-Rivers governor, Peter Odili; and some traditional rulers from the state.
Vice President Kashim Shettima; and the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila were also part of the meeting.
The rift between Wike and Fubara split lawmakers in the House with 27 of them decamping from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), a party in whose central government Wike currently serves as minister.
The feud also saw the emergence of parallel sittings, an impeachment plot against the governor, the demolition of the Assembly complex, and a gale of resignations of pro-Wike commissioners in Fubara’s cabinet.
The President and some elder statesmen had intervened in the crisis earlier in October but it degenerated into a full-blown fight.
However, after Monday’s meeting, the warring parties agreed that all matters instituted in the courts by Fubara, and his team, be withdrawn immediately.
Fubara, Wike, Amaewhule and other gladiators in the crisis signed the agreement made available to News Point Nigeria.
The National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, also signed the document.
But at the Isiokpo Division of the Rivers State High Court, under the auspices of Justice Ben Whyte, when the case with suit number IHC/230/2023 between Fubara vs the Assembly was called on Wednesday, counsel for the Assembly, Ferdinand Orbih, said, “Arising from the resolution of the matter and as can be confirmed from media publications, I expect that the claimant ought to withdraw this case in line with the resolution”.
Okoro, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, said his client was yet to instruct him to withdraw the matter stating that “all that is in the media space, I am yet to be briefed by my client to withdraw the case and as such can’t do that”.
After listening to the two lawyers, the presiding judge, Justice Ben Whyte adjourned the hearing to the 31st of January 2024 in order for Okoro to consult with his client and a report of settlement if any.