19th July, 2016
Members of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and some civil society groups on Tuesday protested in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, calling for the swearing in of two members of the party who won elections into the state House of Assembly.
The protesters led by APC deputy National Chairman, Oji Ngofa, marched outside the Rivers State judiciary and Assembly complexes. They carried placards accusing the state judiciary of corruption.
They protested what they referred to as the pronouncements and actions of some members of the Rivers State Judiciary which had stalled the swearing-in of Victoria Nyeche of Port Harcourt Constituency I and Andrew Miller of Opobo/Nkoro Constituency both into the Rivers State House of Assembly [RSHA].
The protest commenced as early as 7a.m when protesters gathered around the General Post Office area adjacent to the judiciary complex under the watchful eyes of security men who stood at a distance.
At about 8 a.m, the protesters marched to the gate of the judiciary and later moved to the Rivers State House of Assembly Complex where the leaders addressed the crowd.
It would be recalled that despite various tribunal and appeal court rulings declaring the two APC members winners of their state constituency elections and subsequent issuance of Certificates of Return by the Independent Electoral Commission [INEC], the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, has refused to swear in the two APC members into the assembly, hinging his action on purported pronouncements of certain courts in Rivers State.