Rivers Emergency: HURIWA demands urgent Supreme Court action

By Chioma Obinna

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has urged the Supreme Court to urgently perceive the suit filed by 11 authorities governments challenging President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a authorities of exigency successful Rivers State and the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

The authorities of emergency, declared six months ago, is owed to expire connected Thursday, September 18, 2025. HURIWA warned that further hold successful proceeding the substance could undermine ideology and erode citizens’ assurance successful the judiciary.

In a connection by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, the radical said: “This lawsuit is astir the regularisation of instrumentality and the rights of Rivers radical to beryllium governed by their elected leaders. The refusal of the Supreme Court to hole a proceeding day contempt the urgency of the substance threatens law democracy.”

Citing Section 232(1) of the 1999 Constitution, HURIWA insisted that the Supreme Court has a work to perceive the substance without delay, arsenic it falls wrong its archetypal jurisdiction successful disputes betwixt the national authorities and states.

The suit, marked SC/CV/329/2025, was filed by 11 absorption governors, who argued that the president’s determination to suspend an elected politician and name a sole head nether exigency powers was unconstitutional. The national government, however, has raised a preliminary objection, contending that the states deficiency locus standi.

At the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Annual General Conference successful Enugu, the Chairman of the Council of Legal Education, Chief Emeka Ngige (SAN), besides called connected the apex tribunal to enactment swiftly. “This lawsuit touches connected ideology and the regularisation of law. The Supreme Court indispensable instantly docket a hearing, adjacent during vacation, truthful the substance tin beryllium resolved connected the merits,” Ngige said, informing that prolonged hold could render the lawsuit academic.

HURIWA besides urged the National Assembly, civilian nine groups, and citizens to property for accountability, stressing that timely adjudication is indispensable to sphere the equilibrium of powerfulness betwixt the enforcement and judiciary.

“The stableness of our ideology depends connected the tribunal rising supra authorities and upholding its law responsibility,” Onwubiko added.

While commending caller national gains against terrorism, the rights radical maintained that strengthening antiauthoritarian institutions remains arsenic captious to Nigeria’s semipermanent stability.

The station Rivers Emergency: HURIWA demands urgent Supreme Court action appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.