Breaking: Ijaw Youth Council and others drag President Tinubu to ECOWAS Court over State of Emergency
Nigerian President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been dragged before the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Court, in Abuja, over declaring a state of emergency and suspending democratically elected authorities in Rivers State.
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This was contained in a suit dated March 20th, 2025, and marked ‘‘ECW/CCJ/APP/18/25”.
The applicants Harry Ibiso and 11 others, on their behalf and the Eastern Zone of the Ijaw Youth Council, are seeking an order from the court to set aside the suspension of their Governor and elected House of Assembly officials in Rivers State.
Plaintiffs in the suit also want an order of court setting aside all decisions, actions, policies, and directives given or issued by the Sole Administrator, retired Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas, appointed by the respondent’s president on March 18th, 2025.
In the application brought pursuant to Articles III and IV of the supplementary protocol amending ECOWAS Court’s protocol, Article II of the Protocol of the court, and Article 33 of the Rules of the court, the applicants averred that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, elected into political office, lacked the powers to remove or suspend the governor of a state, who was also elected into the office.
They held that by removing the governor, Siminalayi Fubara; his deputy, Ngozi Odu; and members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, the fundamental rights of the applicants and the people of Rivers State have been vi0lated.
“By so doing, the defendant has unlawfully taken away the democratic rights of the applicants and that of the population of Rivers State, both individually and collectively.
The implication therefore is that the applicants and the people of Rivers State have lost their existence and dignity as human beings, having been politically emasculated by the loss of the values that accompany democratic governance and deprived of leaders duly elected by them in the democratic space.”
Recall that on Tuesday, March 18th, 2025, President Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State.
On Thursday, March 20th, 2025, the National Assembly approved the state of emergency declaration in Rivers.
