PDP Governors Drag Tinubu to Supreme Court Over Emergency Rule in Rivers State

11 governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have filed a lawsuit at the Supreme Court, challenging President Bola Tinubu’s controversial declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State.

The case, marked SC/CV/329/2025, was officially submitted on April 8, though it is dated March 20. The suit is spearheaded by PDP governors from Adamawa, Enugu, Osun, Oyo, Bauchi, Akwa Ibom, Plateau, Delta, Taraba, Zamfara, and Bayelsa states.

This legal challenge comes in response to President Tinubu’s March 18 proclamation of emergency rule in Rivers, citing escalating political instability and the destruction of critical oil infrastructure. The president’s move included the dramatic suspension of Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and the entire state House of Assembly for six months. In their place, Tinubu appointed retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas as the sole administrator to oversee the state’s affairs.

The emergency declaration, quickly approved by both chambers of the National Assembly, sparked widespread controversy and debate over its legality and constitutional implications.

In their suit, the PDP governors are asking Nigeria’s apex court to rule on whether the president has the constitutional authority to unilaterally suspend duly elected officials and install an unelected administrator, even under emergency conditions.

Specifically, the plaintiffs are urging the court to interpret critical sections of the 1999 Constitution — including Sections 1(2), 5(2), 176, 180, 188, and 305 — and determine whether Tinubu’s actions amount to an overreach of executive power.

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The governors argue that the removal of Fubara and other elected officials violates Nigeria’s federal structure and the autonomy of state governments. They contend that such drastic actions, taken without due constitutional process, undermine the rule of law and democratic governance.

They are seeking a declaration that the suspension of the Rivers State governor, deputy governor, and legislature — as well as the appointment of Ibas as sole administrator — is “unconstitutional” and “unlawful.”