By Kolawole Ojebisi
The Supreme Court will fix a hearing date for the suit filed by 11 governors of the Peoples Democratic Party challenging the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State by President Bola Tinubu after its Easter vacation.
The Director of Information and Public Relations at the Supreme Court, Dr. Festus Akande, said the matter would be taken up after the court resumes.
“You know the court is on vacation now, but when the Justices return at the end of the month, a hearing date will be fixed for the matter,” Akande said.
The suit, marked SC/CV/329/2025, questions the constitutional authority of President Bola Tinubu to suspend a democratically elected government in any state.
Also the governors are challenging the President’s decision to appoint a Sole Administrator to govern Rivers State.
Recall that on March 18, Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State, suspending Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu, and all elected members of the Rivers State House of Assembly for an initial period of six months.
He subsequently appointed retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas as Sole Administrator to oversee the state’s affairs during the suspension.
But Tinubu’s decision did not sit well with governors of 11 PDP-controlled states—Adamawa, Enugu, Osun, Oyo, Bauchi, Akwa Ibom, Plateau, Delta, Taraba, Zamfara, and Bayelsa— initiated a litigation against the development.
The suit was filed against the Attorney General of the Federation and the National Assembly, listed as the first and second defendants, respectively.
The plaintiffs are asking the Supreme Court to determine whether, under Sections 1(2), 5(2), 176, 180, 188, and 305 of the 1999 Constitution, the President has the legal authority to suspend or interfere with the offices of a governor and deputy governor, and replace them with an unelected nominee under the guise of a state of emergency.
They also want the court to decide whether, under Sections 1(2), 4(6), 11(4) and (5), 90, 105, and 305, the President can lawfully suspend a state House of Assembly in similar circumstances.
Additionally, the suit raises concerns about the President’s alleged threats—conveyed through the Attorney General—to suspend elected governors and their deputies, arguing that such actions may violate constitutional provisions and undermine the principles of federalism.
