JUST IN: Rivers Voters Sue President Tinubu, Senate President Over Emergency Rule in Rivers State

A legal storm is brewing in Nigeria as a group of Rivers State electorates, led by lawyer Daniel Wariboko, has dragged President Bola Tinubu and other top federal officials to court over what they describe as an illegal declaration of a state of emergency in the state. Filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja on March 20, 2025, the suit also lists the Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, the National Assembly, and the Attorney General of the Federation as co-defendants.

The suit, marked FHC/CS/550/2025, challenges the removal of the democratically elected Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, and the entire House of Assembly. Wariboko, suing for himself and all registered voters in Rivers State, argues that the President’s proclamation of a state of emergency on March 18, 2025, is unconstitutional and undermines democratic governance.

Central to the case is whether a political dispute between a governor and the state assembly justifies a state of emergency under Section 305 of the Nigerian Constitution. The plaintiff also questions the legality of suspending elected state officials and appointing a sole administrator in their place.

Among the reliefs sought are court declarations that the President’s actions are null, void, and a violation of citizens’ rights under both the Nigerian Constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights. The suit also asks for a perpetual injunction to prevent any future suspension of elected governors or legislators by the President or his successors.

Filed through his counsel, Fidel Bassey of Transafrican Legal Practice, Wariboko submitted a 29-paragraph affidavit insisting that the intervention of the court is necessary to uphold the rule of law and restore democratic order in Rivers State.