The Federal Government has yet to receive a lawsuit filed at the Supreme Court challenging the emergency rule imposed by President Bola Tinubu in Rivers State on March 18, 2025.
The lawsuit, reportedly filed by seven governors from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), seeks to overturn the emergency rule and the six-month suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, and members of the state House of Assembly.
The governors from Bauchi, Adamawa, Bayelsa, Enugu, Osun, Plateau, and Zamfara argue that the President lacks the constitutional authority to suspend an elected governor and deputy under the state of emergency declaration. The lawsuit names President Tinubu and the National Assembly as defendants.
Nearly a week after the suit was reportedly filed, a source within the Federal Ministry of Justice confirmed to The PUNCH that the lawsuit had not been officially served on the Federal Government.
The source added that the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) had been out of the country but that the Ministry was prepared to respond once the suit was officially received.
In a related development, a spokesperson for one of the PDP governors suggested that the lawsuit might be a fabrication, insisting it had not been filed.
Meanwhile, Bayelsa State Governor Duoye Diri has called for the immediate reversal of the emergency rule, the reinstatement of Governor Fubara, and the formation of a reconciliation panel.
Additionally, former Rivers State Head of Civil Service, Dr. George Nweke, has faced backlash from his community after alleging that Governor Fubara was behind the bombing of the state House of Assembly complex in October 2023.
Nweke, who recently resigned, claimed Fubara orchestrated the attack to stop lawmakers from impeaching him.
Governor Fubara has denied the allegations, suggesting Nweke may have been influenced by political adversaries. Furthermore, Fubara’s Chief of Staff, Edison Ehie, has announced plans to sue Nweke for defamation over the bombing allegations.
The ongoing developments continue to draw significant attention and political debate in Rivers State.
