Eleven Governors from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have approached the Supreme Court to challenge the constitutional powers of President Bola Tinubu following his suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State.
The Governors of Adamawa, Enugu, Osun, Oyo, Bauchi, Akwa Ibom, Plateau, Delta, Taraba, Zamfara, and Bayelsa states are asking the court to determine whether the President has the legal authority to suspend a democratically elected governor and install a sole administrator in their place.
The suit, filed with the Supreme Court and marked SC/CV/329/2025, is based on eight legal grounds. It was confirmed by the Director of Information and Public Relations of the Supreme Court, Dr. Festus Akande.
According to court documents, the plaintiffs are asking the apex court to interpret Sections 1(2), 5(2), 176, 180, 188, and 305 of the 1999 Constitution to determine whether the President can “lawfully suspend or in any manner interfere with the offices of a Governor and Deputy Governor of any of the 36 component states of the Federation.”
The Governors also questioned the legality of the President’s proclamation of a state of emergency in Rivers State, describing it as unconstitutional and a violation of the principles of federalism.
“Whether the threat by the first defendant, acting on behalf of the President, to suspend the offices of Governors and Deputy Governors in the States of the Federation—including the plaintiffs’ states—by a Proclamation of a State of Emergency, is not in contravention of the 1999 Constitution,” they queried in the suit.
It will be recalled that in March 2025, President Tinubu suspended Governor Fubara, his deputy, and members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, citing instability and governance breakdown in the state. The decision was met with widespread criticism across political and civil society lines.
The outcome of the suit is expected to set a major precedent for executive powers and the autonomy of state governments in Nigeria’s constitutional democracy.
(Agency Report)
