•Tinubu and Ibas
Some Rivers indigenes have dragged President Bola Tinubu; the sole administrator of the state, Vice Admiral Ibok Ete Ibas (rtd.); Rivers State government, and the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) before a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, seeking a restraining order against the conduct of the August 30 local government council election.
In the suit filed on August 11, 2025, the plaintiffs prayed the court to stop the conduct of the council elections fixed for August 30, 2025, or at any other date during the period of the state of emergency, which has not ceased, reports Daily Independent.
In the event that the elections are conducted during the period of the state of emergency, the plaintiffs want the court to set aside or nullify the elections for being a nullity.
Plaintiffs in the suit, Fredrick Ededeh, Benita Samuel, Jane Madubuike, Boma Aggo and Comfort Agbom, all indigenes of Rivers State, submitted before the court that the atmosphere is not yet conducive for the conduct of LG elections.
By the suit marked FHC/ ABJ/CS/1144/2025, filed by their lawyer, Sunday Ezema esq, the plaintiffs want the court to determine whether the scheduled local government council elections in Rivers State can be lawfully conducted during the period of state of emergency.
Therefore, the plaintiffs are praying for a declaration that the “clear and present danger or imminent breakdown of public order and public safety” and “clear and present danger of the looming crises” in Rivers State upon which the 1st defendant proclaimed a state of emergency in Rivers State on 18th March, 2025, has not abated or ceased, hence the refusal of the 1st defendant to revoke the Rivers State of Emergency Proclamation, 2025 before or on 30th August, 2025 or at any other date before the expiration of 6 months from 18th March, 2025.
They want the court to declare that the 2nd, 3rd and 4th defendants cannot lawfully conduct the local government council elections in Rivers State, during the period of, subsistence and/or the pendency of the state of emergency in Rivers State.
Also, the plaintiffs are seeking a declaration that the “clear and present danger or imminent breakdown of public order and public safety” and “clear and present danger of the looming crises” in Rivers State that led to the proclamation of state of emergency in Rivers State by the 1st defendant, having not abated or ceased, any local government council elections conducted in Rivers State by the 2nd, 3rd and 4th defendants during the period of, subsistence and/or the pendency of the state of emergency in Rivers State, on 30th August, 2025 or at any other date, is illegal, unconstitutional, null and void in its entirety.
According to the plaintiffs, the president had in the State of Emergency (Rivers State) Proclamation, 2025 stated that there is “clear and present danger or imminent breakdown of public order and public safety” and “clear and present danger of the looming crises” which have affected “good governance, peace, security and order” in Rivers State.
They contended that the emergency situations in the state has not abated or ceased till date, which is the reason why the president has not revoked or suspended the state of emergency till date.
In view of the foregoing, the plaintiffs questioned the validity of the conduct of the council elections during the period of state emergency when there is no “public order” and “public safety” yet in the state.
They claimed that voters cannot vote in a period of emergency or in a situation of breakdown of “good governance, peace, security and order” in Rivers State.
It would be recalled that the previous local government elections conducted by the suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara was later set aside by the court on the grounds of irregularities, and this present court case appears to be tilting towards the same direction.
