A Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a lawsuit challenging President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s proclamation of a state of emergency in Rivers State. The emergency, declared on 18 March 2025, suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara and members of the Rivers State House of Assembly for six months and led to the appointment of an administrator to oversee the state’s affairs.
The suit was filed by five plaintiffs, including Belema Briggs, but Justice James Omotosho ruled that they lacked legal standing. He explained that only the Supreme Court could hear such a matter and noted that none of the plaintiffs were members of the State Executive Committee, members of the House of Assembly, or individuals who had suffered injury beyond that experienced by the general population of Rivers State. Moreover, the plaintiffs had not obtained the Attorney General’s fiat to initiate the case.
The judge also observed that the plaintiffs did not contest President Tinubu’s assertion that the emergency was necessary to prevent a breakdown of law and order. Consequently, their claim of a breach of fundamental rights was deemed unfounded, as the President had invoked the appropriate Emergency Rule Order. The court dismissed the case as frivolous and baseless, citing the lack of a mandate from the people of Rivers State to sue on their behalf.
The dismissal ends the legal challenge to the state of emergency proclamation, a development of significance given the region’s ongoing political and security dynamics. With the ruling, attention is likely to shift to the implications of the emergency and the administration of the state by the appointed administrator.
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