The National Assembly has urged the Supreme Court to dismiss a lawsuit filed by 11 PDP governors challenging President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State, which suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu, and the State House of Assembly on March 18, 2025.
The Assembly argues the suit is procedurally flawed, lacks merit, and that the court lacks jurisdiction, citing violations like failure to serve a three-month pre-action notice and lack of state assembly resolutions authorizing the suit.
They demand N1 billion fine, calling the case “frivolous” and “speculative.”
The PDP governors, from Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Delta, Enugu, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Taraba, and Zamfara, argue Tinubu’s actions, including appointing Rear Admiral Ibokette Ibas as sole administrator, violate the 1999 Constitution, specifically Sections 1(2), 5(2), 176, 180, 188, and 305.
They challenge the National Assembly’s approval via voice vote, claiming it required a two-thirds majority, and seek to nullify the emergency proclamation and restrain further suspensions.
The suit, marked SC/CV/329/2025, remains pending, with groups like Advocates for Democratic Nigeria urging expedited hearings.