Abuja, Nigeria – March 20, 2025 – The Federal Government, led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has been dragged before the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice in Abuja over the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State and the suspension of its elected officials.
The lawsuit, filed on March 20, 2025, and marked ECW/CCJ/APP/18/25, seeks to overturn the removal of democratic structures in the state. The applicants—led by Harry Ibiso and 11 others, alongside the Eastern Zone of the Ijaw Youth Council—are demanding that the court nullify all actions taken under the emergency rule, including the appointment of retired Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas as the sole administrator on March 18.
In their application, filed under various ECOWAS protocols and court rules, the plaintiffs argue that President Tinubu lacked the constitutional authority to suspend or remove an elected governor. They claim that the ousting of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu, and the Rivers State House of Assembly members constitutes a violation of fundamental rights and democratic principles.
The suit, supported by constitutional lawyer Festus Ogwuche, asserts that the emergency declaration has politically emasculated the people of Rivers State, stripping them of their right to democratically elected leadership.
“A state of emergency cannot serve as a guise for executive overreach or legislative usurpation,” the applicants stated.
Despite opposition from some political quarters, the National Assembly approved President Tinubu’s declaration, paving the way for Vice Admiral Ibas to assume office as Rivers’ sole administrator on March 18.
Meanwhile, the ECOWAS Court is yet to fix a hearing date for the case.
Stay tuned for further updates as the legal battle unfolds.
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