Oil wells controvery: Court to fix judgment date, July 29

Lanre Adewole, Abuja - 02.07.2009

AS Akwa Ibom and Rivers states con tinue to flex muscles on the ownership of the controversial 86 oil wells, a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, will on July 29 this year, fix the judgment date in a suit filed by Rivers State on the matter.

The court on Wednesday, adjourned till July 28 and 29, for counsel to parties in the suit to adopt their written addresses on the preliminary applications and the substantive suits which the presiding judge, Justice Adamu Bello, had directed should be consolidated.

Rivers state is asking the court to hold that the political solution adopted by the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2006, in resolving the dispute, is binding on all parties, considering that Akwa Ibom former governor, Obong Victor Attah, endorsed the arrangement.

Akwa Ibom State under the incumbent governor, Godswill Akpabio, protested the political solution and the oil wells had been returned to the state by the relevant agencies of the Federal Government of President Umaru Yar’Adua.

About 76 oil wells, hitherto, in possession of Cross River state, were also transferred to Akwa Ibom, a cessation that is also being challenged in court.

Akwa Ibom, through its counsel, the former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Bayo Ojo, told the court that it rejected the political solution because it had no foundational basis in law.

This argument was contained in written addresses tsubmitted on behalf of the state by Ojo.

Akwa Ibom is also challenging the power of the Federal High Court to hear the suits, insisting that only the Supreme Court could act as a court of first instance in matters between states as well as states against the Federal Government.