By John Ovie, YENAGOA
The law suit seeking creation of additional local government areas for Bayelsa State, on Monday suffered a setback as the National Assembly, and the Attorney General of the federation who are the first and second defendants were absent at the federal High Court sitting in Yenagoa.
A sociocultural pressure group in the Niger Delta Region, the Supreme Egbesu Assembly (SEA) had dragged the federal government and the national assembly before a Federal High Court sitting in Yenagoa, Bayelsa state, demanding for creation of additional 24 local government areas in Bayelsa state which currently has only 8 LGAs.
In the same vein, neither the defendants nor their legal counsel were in court in another suit instituted by the supreme egbesu assembly seeking resource control by States instead of the federal government as it currently is.
Counsel to the plaintiff, Barr. Ebibenabo Okorodas, who spoke to journalists shortly after the case, said the two separate cases with suite numbers FHC/YNG/CS/63/2026, and
FHC/YNG/CS/63/2026 respectively were due for hearing.
Okorodas said “today was supposed to be for hearing. There are two cases. In one of them, which is the resource control, the Attorney General has filed a counter, challenging the issue of resource control that we have filed. Incidentally, they are not in court.
“And what they filed, we have also filed better affidavits and we have also done what is called reply on point of law because they raised some legal issues which we have responded.
“Since they are not in court, you know the law gives them the opportunity of fair hearing so that no party will be undone unnecessarily.”
On the case of creation of additional local government areas for Bayelsa State, Okorodas said the defendants were yet to file counter affidavits.
Speaking, the Secretary General of the supreme egbesu assembly, Mr. Felix Tuodolo said they had been in the struggle for resource control as well as creation of more local government areas for Bayelsa, matching through streets of the Niger Delta in protest.
He noted that they decided to walk the path of justice instead of allowing aggrieved youths of the oil rich region to bear arms and cause havoc to national economic assets which would not do the nation any good.
Tuodolo frowned at delayed justice calling for accelerated legal process as the panacea for peace and progress in the Niger Delta.
“Now that we have chosen the legal path to pursue these things, it behooves on the government to listen and act fast before the youths decide to do otherwise,” he added.
The court presided over by Justice Ayo Emmanuel adjourned the matter to July 1st, 2026 for hearing.
