PDP Shocked As Delta Government Withdraws Lawsuit Against Rivers Emergency Rule

In what marks a significant blow to the coalition of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors, Delta State has withdrawn from the lawsuit challenging President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State.

According to Naija News, this move comes roughly 12 days after Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and the PDP leadership in the state defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC), pledging their firm support for President Tinubu.

Delta had originally joined 10 other PDP-led states in filing suit number SC/CV/329/2025 before the Supreme Court. The governors were contesting President Tinubu’s constitutional authority to suspend duly elected state officials—including governors and their deputies—and replace them with unelected persons under the guise of emergency rule.

The other participating states included Adamawa, Enugu, Osun, Oyo, Bauchi, Akwa Ibom, Plateau, Taraba, Zamfara, and Bayelsa.

The plaintiffs, through their Attorneys-General, presented six legal questions to the apex court, focusing on whether the President could lawfully interfere with the tenures of elected governors and deputies, and whether the Attorney-General’s threat to do so violated the 1999 Constitution and principles of federalism.

They also asked the court to decide if the National Assembly can validate such an emergency declaration—and the resulting suspension of state officials—through a simple voice vote, rather than the constitutionally required two-thirds majority of both chambers.

The PDP governors were seeking several legal remedies, including an order nullifying the emergency declaration in Rivers State, which had been published in Official Gazette No. 47 of 2025.