A High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has confirmed Edison Ehie as the authentic Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
Edison Ehie is one of the five lawmakers in the camp of Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
Ehie was suspended and removed as leader of the House by his colleagues in the wake of the crisis at the House of Assembly but his colleagues who are loyal to Fubara elected him Speaker.
The court has also restrained Martin Amaewhule from parading himself as Speaker or interfering with the activities of Rt. Hon. Edison Ogerenye Ehie as Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
The court also warned against the use of thugs and police officers to forcefully gain access to the Assembly Complex.
Fubara and his estranged political godfather, Nyesom Wike, who is the Federal Capital Territory Minister, have been embroiled in a supremacy battle over who controls Rivers State.
The House of Assembly has since become a battle ground for the war with the lawmakers split into pro-Fubara and pro-Wike camps.
The crisis took a new turn on Monday with 27 members loyal to Wike defecting from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The lawmakers cited alleged division within the PDP as the primary reason for their defection to the APC.
Before announcing their defection from PDP to APC, Assembly members adopted a resolution condemning the alleged withholding of funds for the management of the Assembly by the state government.
Speaking after reading the letters signed by the defected lawmakers, Amaewhule directed the Clerk of the House to convey their resolution to the governor, Mr Siminialayi Fubara and relevant authorities.
According to him, the decision of 27 lawmakers is borne out of their self-proclaimed desire to serve the state better.
