Federal High Court in Abuja, has restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from conducting fresh election to fill the seats of the 26 Rivers House of Assembly members who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to All Progressives Congress (APC).

Justice Donatus Okorowo, who gave the ruling in an ex-parte motion moved by counsel to the defected lawmakers, Peter Onuh, also restrained the INEC, PDP and the house of assembly from declaring their seats vacant and withdrawing their respective Certificate of Returns pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.

Justice Okorowo equally gave “an interim order of injunction restraining all the defendants from interfering with or impeding in any way or attempting to interfere with or impede in any way the performance of the applicants’ official and legislative functions as the speaker, the deputy speaker and members, respectively, of the Rivers State House of Assembly, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.