The Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a suit challenging President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s declaration of emergency rule in Rivers State, ruling that the president acted within the law to avert a breakdown of law and order.
Justice James Omotosho, in his judgment on Thursday, held that the five plaintiffs led by Belema Briggs lacked the legal authority to institute the case.
He ruled that none of the plaintiffs was a member of the Rivers State Executive Council, the House of Assembly, or had suffered any injury distinct from that of the general populace.
Tinubu, in March 2025, had declared a state of emergency in Rivers State, suspending Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and members of the State House of Assembly for six months. A sole administrator was subsequently appointed to oversee the affairs of the state.
The decision sparked multiple legal battles, with over 40 suits filed, including one by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) before the Supreme Court.
Delivering judgment, Justice Omotosho noted that the plaintiffs failed to dispute the government’s claim that the emergency measure was necessary to avert a looming breakdown of law and order.
He stressed that the appropriate legal provisions were invoked by the president to safeguard peace and security.
“The contention of breach of fundamental rights does not hold water because the law on emergency rule was duly invoked by the president to prevent an unpleasant situation,” the judge ruled.
Describing the suit as frivolous and baseless, the court held that the plaintiffs did not obtain the fiat of the Attorney General of Rivers State before filing the case, thereby rendering their action incompetent.
President Tinubu had earlier announced the end of the emergency rule on September 18, 2025, after six months of federal control in the state.
