The Federal Government has received the suit filed by 11 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors, challenging President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State.
The suit was filed with the Supreme Court and questions the legality of the emergency proclamation, which suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu, and the state House of Assembly.
A source at the Federal Ministry of Justice confirmed that the suit had been officially served on the Attorney General of the Federation.
The PDP governors, representing states such as Enugu, Oyo, and Bayelsa, are seeking a determination on whether the President has the constitutional authority to suspend elected officials and replace them with an unelected Sole Administrator under the guise of a state of emergency.
The 11 governors argue that this action threatens constitutional federalism and contravenes sections of the 1999 Constitution. The suit, marked SC/CV/329/2025, demands that the Supreme Court decide whether the President can lawfully suspend a state government and appoint a Sole Administrator. The Federal Government has 14 days to respond.
The dispute arises after Tinubu’s March 18 proclamation, which saw retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas appointed as Sole Administrator for Rivers State during the state of emergency.
“Whether, upon a proper construction of Sections 1(2), 5(2), 176, 180, 188, and 305 of the 1999 Constitution, the President can lawfully suspend or interfere with the offices of a Governor and Deputy Governor…,” the PDP governors argued in their suit.
The National Assembly has supported the President’s decision, but with the case now before the Supreme Court, the legal battle continues.