Suit Against Tinubu Over Rivers Crisis Dismissed for Lack of Locus Standi

The Federal High Court in Abuja has thrown out a lawsuit filed against President Bola Tinubu over his declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State on March 18, 2025.

Justice James Omotosho, who delivered the judgment on Thursday, ruled that the plaintiffs—Belema Briggs and four others—lacked the legal standing to bring the case forward. The suit challenged President Tinubu’s decision to suspend Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu, and the entire Rivers State House of Assembly for six months. During that period, a sole administrator was appointed by the president to oversee the state’s affairs.

The plaintiffs had argued that Tinubu’s actions violated fundamental rights and bypassed democratic procedures. However, the court found their arguments unconvincing. Justice Omotosho noted that the plaintiffs neither demonstrated any special injury nor showed any legal authority to represent the people of Rivers State. He also pointed out that they were not members of the state government or legislature, nor had they secured the consent of the state’s Attorney General to initiate the case.

Moreover, the judge emphasized that the president’s justification for the emergency rule—to prevent an imminent breakdown of law and order—was not disputed by the plaintiffs. He described the suit as “frivolous and baseless,” concluding that it was improperly filed in the name of the state’s citizens without a proper mandate.

President Tinubu officially lifted the emergency rule on September 18, 2025, after the situation reportedly stabilized. He also revealed that more than 40 legal challenges had been brought against the emergency declaration, including one by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party currently pending before the Supreme Court.