Rivers Emergency Rule Drama: PDP Governors’ Court Case Still Unfiled, FG Left In The Dark

The lawsuit, which is said to have been filed by governors from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), seeks to annul the emergency declaration made by Tinubu on March 18, 2025, and demands the reversal of the six-month suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy Prof. Ngozi Odu, and members of the state House of Assembly. The plaintiffs, who include the governors of Bauchi, Adamawa, Bayelsa, Enugu, Osun, Plateau, and Zamfara States, are asking the Supreme Court to affirm that the President does not have the authority to suspend a democratically elected governor and deputy governor under the guise of a state of emergency.

President Tinubu and the National Assembly are named as defendants in the suit. However, a senior state counsel at the Federal Ministry of Justice, speaking anonymously, disclosed that the Ministry is still waiting to be formally served with the suit. The official added, “We have prepared our response as soon as we heard about the suit, but we have yet to be served. The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) has not even been in town, and we are still waiting.”

The matter has taken a new turn as a Chief Press Secretary to one of the PDP governors in the South-West suggested that no such case may have been filed at all. “Our attorney general informed me that the case has not been filed. The report of the lawsuit being filed was probably fabricated for some reason,” the CPS said.

Despite widespread reports, Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri, who chairs the South-South Governors’ Forum, did not confirm any legal action. Instead, he called for reconciliation, urging the Federal Government to reverse the emergency rule, reinstate Governor Fubara, and set up a reconciliation panel for Fubara and the state lawmakers.

Meanwhile, a new controversy has emerged in Rivers State, as the former Head of Civil Service, Dr. George Nweke, accused Governor Fubara of masterminding the October 2023 bombing of the state House of Assembly. Nweke, who resigned from the state government, claimed to have witnessed the handover of a bag of money to Edison Ehie, the governor’s Chief of Staff, for the operation.

“I was present when the bag of money was handed to Edison for the operation, although I don’t know how much was inside,” Nweke alleged. “The bombing of the House of Assembly was ordered by Governor Fubara, and I challenge him to confront me publicly. I will provide more details.”

Governor Fubara dismissed the accusations, labeling them as politically motivated. In response, Maximus Nwafor, leader of the “Concerned Omuma Stakeholders” and former Commissioner for Energy and Natural Resources, condemned Nweke’s claims, alleging that Nweke resorted to blackmail after being denied financial assistance by the governor and his Chief of Staff.

“We never imagined that Nweke would go this far, spreading falsehoods against his benefactor,” Nwafor said. “He resorted to blackmail out of impatience, trying to manipulate the governor and state officials.”