Nsuke and others are standing trial over contempt of court.
Rivers State High Court sitting in Nchia, Eleme on Tuesday failed to sit over the trial of the President of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), Fegalo Nsuke and 11 others.
Nsuke and others are standing trial over contempt of court.
However, the trial judge, Hon. Justice Constance Green did not show up in court, stalling the trial.
No date has however been fixed for the next hearing.
The case is in respect of contempt proceedings brought against Nsuke and 11 other members of the MOSOP Central Committee, seeking to commit them to prison for failing to obey a judgment delivered by the same court on May 4, 2020.
But Nsuke had challenged the jurisdiction of the court to hear the matter, citing a pending appeal at the appellate court. A preliminary objection was subsequently filed in this respect.
On Tuesday, the court was to hear the preliminary objection challenging its jurisdiction to hear the matter.
The Preliminary Objection amongst others argued that the judgment in question was already being challenged at the Court of Appeal in Appeal Court No. CA/PH/266/2020 and therefore Nsuke cannot be held contemptuous in respect of the said judgment.
But due to the judge's absence, the trial could not proceed and no date was fixed for the next hearing.
Court officials who addressed lawyers said the presiding judge, Constance Green had an official engagement which prevented her from being in court.