ABUJA – Former House of Representatives member, Dr. Farah Dagogo, has challenged the legality of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s declaration of emergency rule and subsequent suspension of the elected government in Rivers State, describing the move as a breach of constitutional provisions.
Dagogo’s position was made clear on Thursday during a resumed hearing of Suit No. FHC/PH/CS/50/2025 at the Federal High Court in Abuja. The case was originally filed in the Port Harcourt Division but later reassigned to Abuja by order of the Attorney-General of the Federation.
Speaking through his counsel, Babafemi Adegbite, Dagogo argued that the President acted beyond his constitutional powers by suspending Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s administration and installing a sole administrator following the emergency declaration on March 18, 2025.
“The President does not possess constitutional authority to unilaterally suspend a democratically elected government and replace it with an appointed administrator,” Adegbite told journalists after the proceedings. “That is the gravamen of our case—challenging the imposition of a sole administrator in breach of the Constitution.”
The emergency declaration, made on the grounds of security concerns, led to the appointment of retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas as the administrator of Rivers State and the suspension of state House of Assembly members. Dagogo’s legal team contends this action undermines democratic governance and violates Nigeria’s federal structure.
At Thursday’s hearing, counsel to the first and fifth defendants—Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Prof. Kanyinsola Ajayi, and Abduljabar Aliyu—requested an extension of time to file their responses. The third and fourth defendants were absent.
Justice James Omotosho, who presided over the proceedings, granted the request and adjourned the matter to July 9, 2025.
The legal challenge comes amid rising political tension in Rivers following the federal intervention. Dagogo, a Rivers-born politician, filed the suit on April 9, 2025, naming the President, the Senate President, the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the Rivers State Administrator as defendants.
With the hearing now rescheduled, the court is expected to determine the legality of President Tinubu’s emergency declaration and whether it contravenes the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
