12th December, 2019
A Rivers State High Court sitting in Nchia, Port Harcourt and presided over by Hon Justice B. B Green on Tuesday struck out a suit seeking to upturn the election of Mr. Fegalo Nsuke as president of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP).
This followed an affidavit of withdrawal from the complainants Mr Gideon Amba; Chief Theophilus Dike and others.
Gideon Amba and Theophilus Dike are former Kingdom Coordinator of Eleme and former Financial Secretary of MOSOP respectfully.
The complainants had approached the court to seek the extension of Pyagbara’s tenure by one year. They further wanted a court order to declare that Nsuke’s election was invalid by virtue of the fact that the electoral committee which conducted the elections was set up by the deputy president of MOSOP in the absence of the then president, Legborsi Pyagbara.
Surprisingly, as the matter came up for hearing on Tuesday, counsel to the claimants announced their decision to surrender and discontinue the case.
By the withdrawal, legal practitioners have been making interpretations to the ruling. Ikechukwu Chinedu K. , a Port Harcourt based legal practitioner said the implication is that the election of Nsuke is now upheld before the court as all parties will return to the status quo.
Another legal opinion says given the expiry of the tenure of Pyagbara as president of MOSOP, the election of Nsuke is the status quo to be maintained. He posited that the organization cannot be left without a leadership.