Former Federal Commissioner for Information and prominent South-South leader, Chief Edwin Clark, has urged the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, to urgently investigate allegations of misuse of oath by former Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martins Amawhule, and his colleagues.
The call follows repeated contradictory statements made under oath, where Amawhule and other assembly members reportedly alternated between declaring themselves members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and other political affiliations.
In a statement issued to journalists in Abuja, Clark criticized recent judgments by Justice James Omotoso and the Court of Appeal concerning the Rivers State House of Assembly, claiming that the rulings were “obtained by fraud.”
He alleged that Amawhule and his associates concealed vital information from the court, which ultimately influenced the legal decisions made.
As the leader of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Clark clarified that while such judgments reflect fraudulent actions by the plaintiffs, they do not reflect any wrongdoing on the part of the judges involved.
He further explained that Amawhule and 26 other assembly members defected from the PDP to the All Progressives Congress (APC) on December 11, 2023, which, according to Clark, violated Section 109(1)(g) of the 1999 Constitution.
This section mandates that lawmakers who defect automatically lose their seats.
Clark also pointed to subsequent legal actions initiated by Amawhule and his colleagues, noting their conflicting statements under oath regarding their political party affiliations.
He argued that Justice Omotoso’s judgment, delivered on January 22, 2024, was invalid, as it did not take into account the automatic loss of seats upon defection.
In addition, Clark raised concerns over the involvement of Justice Okorowo, who halted actions by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to fill the vacated seats of the defecting lawmakers before his promotion to the Court of Appeal.
Clark strongly urged the IGP to investigate Amawhule and his associates for perjury, emphasizing the need for litigants to present truthful and complete statements before the court.
He noted that judgments based on fraudulent information mislead courts and can unfairly alter the outcome of legal proceedings.
The statement further referenced Clark’s legal expertise and cited examples from both Nigerian and British jurisprudence, underscoring the importance of truthful pleadings in legal cases.
Clark also condemned the Court of Appeal’s response to the Rivers State Governor’s appeal against Justice Omotoso’s ruling, calling the remarks against Governor Fubara “unwarranted” and demanding a transparent review of the case.
