Emergency Rule: Court sets date for ruling

As Farah Dagogo insists Tinubu erred successful suspending elected officials

By Daniel Abia P/Harcourt

The Federal High Court sitting successful Abuja has fixed October 31, 2025, for its ruling connected jurisdiction successful the suit filed by erstwhile Member of the House of Representatives and 2023 Rivers State governorship aspirant, Dr. Farah Dagogo, challenging President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s law authorization to suspend democratically elected officials during the declaration of Emergency Rule successful Rivers State.

The case, Suit No. FHC/PH/CS/50/2025, lists arsenic defendants the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, and Vice Admiral Ibok Ete Ibas (Rtd.), who served arsenic the Rivers State Sole Administrator during the six months of exigency regularisation period.

During Friday’s proceedings, counsel to the plaintiff, Barrister Babafemi Adegbite, adopted the written arguments filed successful enactment of the court’s jurisdiction to perceive the matter. The Presiding Judge, Justice James Omotosho, aft listening to the defendants’ counsels’ absorption to the submissions, reserved ruling and fixed October 31 for ruling connected the matter.

Speaking to journalists aft the tribunal session, Barrister Adegbite reaffirmed his client’s presumption that President Tinubu acted beyond his law powers by suspending the elected officials of some the enforcement and legislative arms of the Rivers State Government.

“We person demonstrated earlier the court, done decided authorities, that the President erred successful suspending duly elected officials,” Adegbite said, adding that “even though they person present been reinstated, the enactment remains unconstitutional. We request a wide judicial pronouncement to forestall aboriginal occurrences.”

He stressed that the restoration of the affected officials does not render the lawsuit academic, emphasizing that the cardinal contented concerns law integrity and the limits of statesmanlike power.

“We told the tribunal that if we enactment soundless oregon retreat the case, what happens if different President decides to instrumentality akin enactment tomorrow? This is wherefore the judiciary indispensable talk decisively and state specified actions illegal, null, and void,” helium added.

Adegbite further clarified that the suit is chiseled from earlier exigency regularisation cases struck retired by the tribunal for deficiency of jurisdiction, arguing that the facts and ineligible issues successful Dr. Dagogo’s lawsuit are different.

“We made the tribunal recognize that our lawsuit is intelligibly distinguishable from those dismissed earlier. After adopting our submissions, the tribunal reserved judgement until October 31,” helium said.

The lawsuit was initially filed astatine the Port Harcourt Division of the Federal High Court, but was aboriginal reassigned to the Abuja Division pursuing a directive from the Attorney General of the Federation to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court.

The station Emergency Rule: Court sets day for ruling appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.