In a dramatic escalation of Nigeria’s latest political firestorm, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has hauled President Bola Tinubu before the Federal High Court in Abuja, branding his “unlawful suspension” of Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Deputy Ngozi Odu, and state lawmakers a direct assault on democracy. The legal salvo, lodged last Friday by three members of SERAP’s Volunteers’ Lawyers Network in Rivers—Yirabari Israel Nulog, Nengim Ikpoemugh Royal, and Gracious Eyoh-Sifumbukho—comes hot on the heels of Tinubu’s bombshell declaration of a six-month state of emergency in the oil-rich state.
The President’s move last Tuesday was triggered by a wave of chaos rocking Rivers, including deadly explosions, vandalized petroleum pipelines, and spiraling political violence—all linked to a bitter power struggle in the state. Citing Section 305 of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution, Tinubu suspended the elected officials, igniting a firestorm of outrage from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Nigerian Bar Association, opposition figures, and top legal minds who’ve decried it as a constitutional overreach.
SERAP, in a fiery Sunday statement, pulled no punches. “This suspension isn’t just illegal—it’s a dagger to the heart of democratic governance,” said Deputy Director Kolawole Oluwadare. The group argues that Tinubu’s actions shred the Constitution’s safeguards—Sections 1(2), 14(1)(c), 176(1)(2), and 305(1)—which protect the people’s right to participate in their government. They’ve also invoked the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the African Charter on Democracy, Elections, and Governance, accusing the President of trampling Nigeria’s international commitments.
The stakes couldn’t be higher in Rivers, a state pulsing with oil wealth and political intrigue. SERAP’s lawsuit isn’t just a legal challenge—it’s a rallying cry for the rule of law in a nation teetering on the edge. As protests simmer and pipelines burn, all eyes are on the courtroom, where this high-octane clash could reshape Nigeria’s democratic future.
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