Rivers Emergency Rule: FG Yet To Receive PDP Governors’ Suit

Nearly a week after seven opposition governors reportedly filed a lawsuit at the Supreme Court challenging President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s emergency declaration in Rivers State, the Federal Government says it has yet to be formally served with the suit.

The lawsuit, allegedly initiated by governors elected under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), seeks to nullify Tinubu’s March 18, 2025 declaration of emergency rule in Rivers State. It also demands the reversal of the six-month suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy Prof. Ngozi Odu, and members of the state House of Assembly.

The plaintiffs listed are governors of Bauchi, Adamawa, Bayelsa, Enugu, Osun, Plateau, and Zamfara States. Acting through their attorneys general, the governors are asking the Supreme Court to affirm that: “The President has no powers whatsoever or authority to suspend a democratically elected governor and deputy governor of a state in the federation of Nigeria, under the guise of or pursuant to the proclamation of a state of emergency in any state of the federation, including the states represented by the plaintiffs.”

President Tinubu and the National Assembly are named as defendants in the suit.

However, a senior state counsel at the Federal Ministry of Justice, who spoke with The PUNCH on condition of anonymity, disclosed that the ministry is still waiting to be served with the suit.

“Here at the Ministry of Justice, we have yet to be served with the governors’ suit that they said they filed before the Supreme Court to challenge Fubara’s suspension,” the official said.

“Immediately after we heard about the suit, we prepared our response. We have our response ready because for three days we started reading books to prepare, but we have yet to be served. We are still waiting. The AGF has not even been in town… but our ears are on the ground and we know he has not been served.”

The situation has taken a new twist as a Chief Press Secretary to one of the PDP governors in the South-West hinted that no such case may have been filed at all.

“Based on my discussion with our attorney general, the case has not been filed. The report that the suit was filed was sponsored for a reason,” the CPS told The PUNCH.

Despite widespread reports, Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri—who chairs the South-South Governors’ Forum—did not confirm any legal action in his recent statement. Instead, he called for reconciliation.

Diri urged the Federal Government to “urgently reverse the Rivers emergency rule, reinstate Governor Fubara, and set up a panel to reconcile Fubara and the state lawmakers.”

Meanwhile, fresh controversy has emerged in Rivers as the former Head of Civil Service, Dr. George Nweke, accused Governor Fubara of orchestrating the October 2023 bombing of the state House of Assembly.

At a press conference on Friday, Nweke—who recently resigned from the state government—claimed to have witnessed a bag of money being handed to Edison Ehie, a former lawmaker and now Chief of Staff to the governor, to carry out the attack.

“I was there with them when a bag of money was handed over to Edison for that operation, though I do not know the amount inside,” Nweke alleged.

“I want to tell the people of Rivers State today that the House of Assembly Complex on Moscow Road was deliberately brought down by Edison Ehie under the instructions of Governor Siminalayi Fubara. I challenge him to an open confrontation, and I will provide more details.”

Governor Fubara, however, dismissed the claims, attributing them to political manipulation.

In a counter statement, Maximus Nwafor, leader of the “Concerned Omuma Stakeholders” and immediate past Commissioner for Energy and Natural Resources, condemned Nweke’s remarks.

“It is with a heavy heart that we, as Omuma Local Government stakeholders, address you today in reaction to the actions of one of our sons, Dr. George Nweke,” Nwafor said.

“We never imagined that it would take this dimension of peddling blatant falsehood against an innocent man who is his benefactor.”

He further alleged that Nweke had, shortly after resigning, sought financial assistance from the governor and his Chief of Staff but, out of impatience, resorted to blackmail.

“We have it on good authority that Dr. George Nweke… out of impatience resorted to other means to get it, including blackmailing the governor and some top officials in the state,” Nwafor claimed.

“There is no element of truth in all Dr. George Nweke has said in his press briefing, as he was not a member of the local government inner caucus, much more being part of the state caucus.”