PDP Rejects Amendment To Rivers State High Court Rules

 

The Rivers State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party says the purported amendment of some sections of the Rivers State High Court rules and the hasty signing into law in the midnight by the State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, is highly condemnable, a rape on democracy and a premeditated effort to lord it over the judiciary which is the third arm of government that is as important and indispensable as the executive thereby dragging it into partisan politics.

PDP

The Chairman of PDP, Bro Felix Obuah, stated this through his Special Adviser on Media, Jerry Needam, while reacting to the purported amendment and signing into law the Rivers State High Court rules by Gov Amaechi.

The PDP avers that constitutionally, the Chief Registrar, who is not a judicial officer, cannot by a State law be vested with the authority to perform functions inextricably connected with judicial duties, such as the assignment of cases to judicial officers.

The PDP observes that the amendment which seeks to make an ass of the law also seeks to unconstitutionally appoint the Chief Registrar of the StateHigh Court as the Chief Judge in the circumstances described in the said amendment.

“Can a Chief Registrar therefore query a Judge who refuses to obey his instructions pursuant to the powers of the Chief Registrar under the said amendment,?” PDP demands, stressing that the amendment is in clear violation  of the provisions of the 1999 constitution and an abuse of the rule of law.

The PDP also seeks explanation on the situation in which the Public hearing to amend the High Court Rules was fixed to hold on Wednesday, June 11, 2014, same day members of the House of Assembly loyal to Gov Amaechi were at the High Court gate protesting, same day a purported Public Hearing was said to have taken place, same day report was submitted, same day bill passed and same day it was signed into law.

The Party describes the action of the Rivers State Governor as criminal and an irresponsible way to amend a law, noting that the decision to amend this law had already been taken before the purported public hearing.

While pointing out that the Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi operates outside the 1999 constitution, the PDP rejects the purported amendment and urges Rivers people to distance themselves from it.

The PDP would in the coming days ensure that the law does not see the light of the day.

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PDP Rejects Amendment To Rivers State High Court Rules