The Federal High Court in Port Harcourt has summoned President Bola Tinubu and seven others to address the controversial state of emergency declared in Rivers State. The defendants include Senate President Godswill Akpabio, House Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, the National Assembly, the Attorney General, Rivers Sole Administrator Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, the Revenue and Fiscal Mobilization Commission, and the Central Bank of Nigeria.
Filed as Suit No: FHC/PH/CS/45/2025 by the Incorporated Trustees of Peoples Life Improvement Foundation, Precious Elekima, and Inanna Wright Harry, the lawsuit challenges the constitutionality of the emergency rule imposed on March 18, 2025. The plaintiffs argue it violates the Nigerian Constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights.
The plaintiffs seek to nullify the declaration, restore democracy by reinstating Rivers State's suspended Executive and Legislative branches, and bar the Sole Administrator from appointing caretaker committees, forming an executive council, awarding contracts, or accessing state funds. They also request a perpetual injunction against further suspensions of elected officials.
The court has granted the defendants 30 days to respond, cautioning that the case may proceed without them if they fail to comply. The suit was filed by Ebere R. Ugwuja, ESQ, representing the plaintiffs.
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