President Bola Tinubu has been dragged before the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt over the controversial Rivers State local government elections held on August 30, 2025.
In suit No. FHC/PH/CS/173/2025, filed on September 11, lawyer Clifford Nnanta Chuku is asking the court to nullify the polls and declare unconstitutional the Emergency Powers Regulation introduced by Tinubu to guide the elections.
Chuku contends that the regulation, which suspended parts of the Electoral Act 2022 and Rivers State electoral laws, violated the constitution and undermined democracy. He argues that the President’s decision to override established laws for the Rivers elections amounted to an unconstitutional overreach.
The suit lists as defendants: President Tinubu, the Federal Government, the Attorney General of the Federation, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC).
Key issues before the court include whether the regulation unlawfully restricted the democratic rights of Rivers people and whether RSIEC’s notice for the elections met the required legal timelines.
Chuku is seeking a court order striking down the regulation, voiding the August 30 polls, and compelling RSIEC to conduct fresh elections strictly in line with the Electoral Act.
The Federal High Court has fixed October 21, 2025, for hearing. Legal analysts say the outcome could define the future scope of presidential powers in Nigeria’s electoral process.
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