Rivers Assembly crisis ends as Ehie withdraws lawsuit against defecting members

Former Rivers State House of Assembly member Edison Ehie, who represented Ahoada East Constituency II, has withdrawn his lawsuit accusing 25 out of the 27 members of contempt for defecting from PDP to APC last year. This move appears to bring an end to the political turmoil in the state.

Ehie, a close ally of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, had declared the seats of the 27 members vacant in December following their switch from the PDP to APC. Two of these lawmakers later returned to the PDP, and a group of five lawmakers loyal to the governor, led by Ehie, emerged.

Governor Fubara has been entangled in a fierce political rivalry with his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, who is currently the FCT minister.

In a surprising twist, Ehie resigned from the House of Assembly after Governor Fubara and Wike reached a peace agreement. Previously, Ehie had filed a contempt case against 25 members at the Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt, challenging their meetings and legislative actions.

During the hearing of petitions before the court, Ehie’s attorney, Mac-Barango Esq., presented a Notice of Discontinuance submitted by his client. He requested the court to acknowledge and implement this notice. The defendant’s counsel did not contest this request, leading the judge to strike out the case.