Rep's Bold Move: Challenges Falana on Supreme Court Verdict in Rivers Crisis

Solomon Bob, a member of the House of Representatives who represents Rivers State's Abua/Odual and Ahoada East Federal Constituency, has criticized human rights attorney Femi Falana's interpretation of the Supreme Court's ruling on the crisis engulfing Rivers State.

In a statement released on Saturday, Bob called Falana's reading of the ruling deceptive.

On January 10, 2025, the Supreme Court denied Governor Siminilayi Fubara's appeal against the Court of Appeal's ruling, which had previously affirmed Justice Joseph Omotosho's Federal High Court ruling in Suit N0: FHC/ABJ/CS/1613/2023, according to DOROTV.

He clarified that Fubara was prohibited by Justice Omotosho's ruling, delivered on January 22, 2024, from submitting any kind of request, presentation, or nomination to the Rivers State House of Assembly, with the exception of the House of Assembly led by Speaker Martin Amaewhule.

Falana had argued that the rejected appeal was purely academic because it only dealt with the 2024 appropriation statute.

However, the lawmaker believed that the ruling covered all upcoming budget presentations (including the 2025 budget presentation), requests, and nominations before the Rivers State House of Assembly, not just the 2024 budget presentation.

However, when Mr. Femi Falana SAN made an appearance on a television program to present yet another false interpretation, Bob said, "the ink on the Supreme Court's dismissal had barely dried up."

"In fact, almost all of the reliefs requested and awarded by the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal's ruling uphold the 27 lawmakers' continued membership in the House of Assembly."

Bob emphasized that only the Federal High Court has jurisdiction over any issue pertaining to vacancy in a House of Assembly seat because of Section 272(3) of the constitution.

Falana's insistence that the 27 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly had lost their seats was ludicrous and unfounded, he said, adding that Justice Omotosho's ruling was still the only one rendered by a court with the necessary authority to have made a ruling on their status.

Bob stated that Section 109(1)(g) of the Constitution is not self-executatory, in contrast to Falana's renowned stance.