Eleven governors from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have filed a suit at the Supreme Court challenging President Bola Tinubu’s authority to suspend democratically elected state officials and declare a state of emergency in Rivers State. The legal action, lodged on Tuesday and confirmed exclusively by Dr. Festus Akande, Director of Information and Public Relations at the Supreme Court, marks a significant escalation in the political standoff between the opposition and the presidency.
The suit, marked SC/CV/329/2025, stems from President Tinubu’s March 18 declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State, during which he suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu, and all elected members of the Rivers State House of Assembly for an initial six-month period. In their place, Tinubu appointed Vice Admiral Ibok Ete Ibas (retd.) as sole administrator to govern the state. The National Assembly subsequently endorsed the president’s decision, further fueling the controversy.
The 11 PDP governors—representing Adamawa, Enugu, Osun, Oyo, Bauchi, Akwa Ibom, Plateau, Delta, Taraba, Zamfara, and Bayelsa—argue that Tinubu’s actions violate the 1999 Constitution. Filed through their respective state Attorneys General, the suit rests on eight grounds and seeks to clarify the president’s powers to interfere with state governance structures. Among the key questions posed to the Supreme Court are whether the president can lawfully suspend a governor, deputy governor, or state assembly under the guise of an emergency proclamation, and whether such actions contravene constitutional federalism principles.
The governors specifically cited Sections 1(2), 5(2), 176, 180, 188, and 305 of the Constitution, questioning the legality of replacing elected officials with an unelected appointee. They also challenged the emergency declaration process, asking the court to determine if it adhered to constitutional requirements. “Whether the consequent threat by the President to the States of the Federation, including the Plaintiffs’ States, to suspend their governors and deputy governors, is not inconsistent with the principles of constitutional federalism?” the suit queries.
The plaintiffs urged the Supreme Court to resolve these issues, arguing that the president’s moves threaten the autonomy of Nigeria’s 36 states. The respondents, including the president and other relevant parties, have 14 days from the date of service to enter an appearance in the case.
The filing ends weeks of speculation about the PDP governors’ next steps, following earlier reports—later clarified as premature—that they had already approached the apex court.
