On Friday, March 21, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s federal government was taken to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Court of Justice in Abuja over the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State and the suspension of democratically elected officials.
The suit, filed on March 20, 2025, is marked ECW/CCJ/APP/18/25. The plaintiffs, led by Harry Ibiso and 11 others from the Eastern Zone of the Ijaw Youth Council, are seeking an order from the court to cancel the suspension of elected officials and the removal of democratic structures in Rivers State.
The applicants argue that the actions taken by President Tinubu, including the appointment of Sole Administrator Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas, violate the democratic rights of the people of Rivers State. They believe these actions undermine the principles of democratic governance and violate the constitutional rights of the people.
“In removing Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and the members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, the defendant has unlawfully taken away the democratic rights of the applicants and the people of Rivers State,” the plaintiffs stated in the suit.
They also argued that a state of emergency cannot be used as a cover to remove executive powers from the governor or override the legislative powers of the state’s assembly.
The suit is based on Articles III and IV of the supplementary protocol amending the ECOWAS Court’s protocol, along with other relevant provisions. The applicants contend that President Tinubu, as an elected official, does not have the power to remove or suspend the governor of Rivers State, who was also democratically elected.
The court has yet to schedule a date for the hearing.
This lawsuit follows Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers on Tuesday, which was approved by the National Assembly on Thursday, despite opposition from many Nigerians. Since then, Vice Admiral Ibas has resumed his role as the sole administrator of Rivers.
