In a stunning turn of events, the political crisis in Rivers State escalates as six prominent elders, including Senators Bennett Birabi and Andrew Uchendu, take legal action against President Bola Tinubu.
Led by Victor Jumbo, a member of the Rivers State House of Assembly, the plaintiffs allege that Tinubu compelled Governor Siminilaya Fubara into an unconstitutional agreement, signed on December 18. The elders argue that the agreement undermines the constitutional provisions of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
The lawsuit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1718/2023, seeks the court's determination on Tinubu and Fubara's rights to nullify or undermine Section 109(I)(g) and (2) of the Constitution. Notably, the elders assert that neither Tinubu nor Fubara has the statutory power to prevent the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from conducting fresh elections to replace the 27 Rivers State lawmakers who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The suit names Tinubu, the Attorney-General, Governor Fubara, the Rivers Assembly, Rivers Assembly Speaker, and INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu as defendants. The unfolding legal battle raises critical questions about political maneuvering and constitutional boundaries in the state.
