Rivers: Supreme Court reserves judgement on PDP Govs’ suit against Tinubu

…FG took bonzer measurement to reconstruct peace– AGF

By Ikechukwu Nnochiri

ABUJA– The Supreme Court, connected Tuesday, reserved its judgement connected a suit that 11 states of the federation filed to situation what they termed arsenic President Bola Tinubu’s unconstitutional actions successful Rivers State.

The states, which were controlled by the absorption Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, done their respective Attorneys-General, queried president Tinubu’s statutory powers to suspend a serving politician from bureau aft the proclamation of exigency rule.

They prayed the apex tribunal to state that based connected provisions of sections 1(2), 5(2), and 305 of the 1999 Constitution, arsenic amended, the president “has nary powers whatsoever oregon vires to suspend a democratically elected politician and lawman politician of a authorities successful the federation of Nigeria nether the guise of oregon pursuant to the proclamation of a authorities of exigency successful the authorities of the federation by the president, including the states of the federation represented by the plaintiffs.”

The plaintiffs arsenic prayed the tribunal to state that President Tinubu had nary powerfulness to suspend a democratically elected House of Assembly of a authorities pursuant to Sections 192 (4) (6) and 305 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).

As good arsenic to state that the suspension of Governor Siminalaye Fubara, his lawman and members of the Rivers State Assembly was unconstitutional, unlawful, amerciable and utterly successful gross usurpation of provisions of the 1999 Constitution, arsenic amended.

Cited arsenic 1st and 2nd defendants successful the suit marked: SC/CV/329/2025, are the Attorney General of the Federation, AGF, and the National Assembly, NASS.

When the lawsuit was called up for hearing, the AGF, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, appeared successful idiosyncratic to correspond the Federal Government, portion Mr. Charles Yohila, represented the NASS.

Mr. Eyitayo Jegede, SAN, led a squad of lawyers that announced quality for the PDP states.

A seven-man sheet led by Justice Inyang Okoro reserved judgement aft each the parties adopted their briefs of argument.

Meanwhile, earlier the substance was adjourned, Delta state, which was initially listed arsenic the 5th plaintiff, formally withdrew from the case.

The withdrawal followed the defection of politician Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta authorities from the PDP to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.

Aside from Delta, different states down the suit were; Adamawa, Enugu, Osun, Oyo, Bauchi, Akwa Ibom, Plateau, Taraba, Zamfara, and Bayelsa.

Arguing the lawsuit for the plaintiffs, Jegede, SAN, clarified that his clients were not challenging the powerfulness of the president to proclaim a authorities of emergency, but “the grade to which the proclamation tin beryllium made to impact the offices of the Governor, Deputy Governor, and the State House of Assembly.”

On his part, the AGF, whose idiosyncratic quality connected Tuesday underscored the delicate quality of the case, urged the tribunal to disregard it for privation of merit.

The AGF insisted that President Tinubu’s enactment was successful the wide involvement of Rivers state.

According to him, the authorities was engulfed successful a governmental situation that progressive the governor, lawman politician and the lawmakers.

“No liable authorities would beryllium backmost and let the authorities to pain without taking immoderate action,” Fagbemi, SAN, submitted, adding that Fubara’s suspension, on with his lawman and lawmakers, “was an bonzer measurement to cheque an bonzer situation.”

The AGF, said: “My lords, the president had to enactment and enactment accelerated to safeguard the state.

“The starting constituent is the judgement of the Supreme Court, wherein your lordships held that arsenic things were astatine that time, determination was nary authorities and governance successful Rivers State.

“Therefore, the president had nary prime but a work to enactment successful the champion involvement of the state.

“What helium did was to suspend the protagonists, not region them. Rivers was successful an bonzer situation, and that required taking bonzer measures to reconstruct bid and support democracy,” the AGF contended.

His presumption was adopted by the NASS which besides urged the tribunal to disregard the suit.

The NASS contended that the plaintiffs failed to fulfil the conditional precedent that would empower the Supreme Court to perceive the suit it described a...