Tensions Soar As FG Dismisses PDP Governors’ Court Action On Rivers Emergency Threat

The Federal Government has formally presented its defence at the Supreme Court, asserting that the imposition of a state of emergency in Rivers State was necessary due to a complete breakdown of governance and increasing attacks on vital national economic infrastructure.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

In a counter-affidavit filed in response to a lawsuit by 11 PDP-controlled states, the government maintained that the dire situation in Rivers State left it with no choice but to act. The plaintiff states—Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Delta, Enugu, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Taraba, and Zamfara—are challenging the legality of the emergency declaration.

According to the affidavit sworn by Taiye Hussain Oloyede, Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu and the Federal Ministry of Justice, Rivers State experienced severe political instability, culminating in the president’s declaration of a state of emergency on March 15, 2025.

The government argued that the legislative and executive branches in the state had become dysfunctional, with only four lawmakers aligning with Governor Siminalayi Fubara, while the remaining 27 were sidelined and left without a functional legislative chamber after the controversial demolition of the State House of Assembly.

Oloyede alleged that militants had issued violent threats against opponents of the governor and that critical infrastructure, including oil pipelines, was under constant attack—without any meaningful response from the state government. He emphasized that governance in Rivers had halted completely, especially after the governor failed to present an Appropriation Bill, thereby denying the state access to operational funds.

The affidavit also referenced several unresolved legal battles between the governor and the opposing lawmakers, which eventually reached the Supreme Court. The court ruled that governance cannot function without all three arms of government, noting that the executive had effectively collapsed the legislature to rule unilaterally.

Despite interventions by President Tinubu and other prominent Nigerians, the parties involved refused to compromise, further deepening the crisis. Oloyede insisted that the president acted in line with constitutional provisions, highlighting that the National Assembly’s role is to approve or reject such a proclamation—not to declare one.

He further dismissed the claims of the PDP governors as speculative and unfounded, affirming that President Tinubu remains committed to the rule of law and acted solely based on verifiable facts to preserve national stability.