Seven PDP governors ably led by the Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, have vowed and put all necessary preparations in place to challenge the imposition of state of emergency on Rivers State.
President Bola Tinubu had on March 18 declared a state of emergency in Rivers State following a series of unending political crises which have engulfed the state since October 2023.
The President, placing reliance on section 305 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), cited the unresolved impasse between the state governor and the Rivers State House of Assembly as well as bombing of oil installations as reasons for his action.
Sequel to the declaration, the President suspended the State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara; his deputy, Ngozi Odu; and the State House of Assembly. In turn, the President appointed Vice Admiral Ibok-Ette Ibas, a retired Chief of Naval Staff, as the sole administrator of the State.
The PDP governors however rejected the president’s declaration, vowing to challenge it and the constitutionality of the suspension of the state’s officials in a court of law.
The opposition governors reached this agreement after a virtual meeting and have accordingly instructed their lawyers to file the suits. The suits, according to them, will be rooted in sections 1(2), 5(2) and 305 of the constitution which they believe limit the power of the president in this regard.
The suit will be filed by governors of Bauchi, Bayelsa, Plateau, Adamawa, Osun, Enugu and Zamfara States.
It is however uncertain whether the suit will make a headway, since the PDP governors are not directly affected by the declaration. But sources revealed that the governors are determined to test the constitutionality of the President’s action in the Supreme Court.
