The Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a lawsuit filed against President Bola Tinubu over the emergency rule he declared in Rivers State on March 18, 2025.
Justice James Omotosho, delivering judgment on Thursday, held that the five plaintiffs, led by Belema Briggs, lacked the legal standing to challenge the president’s decision.
Tinubu had declared a six-month state of emergency in Rivers, suspending Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and members of the state House of Assembly.
A sole administrator was appointed to oversee the state’s affairs during the period.
The plaintiffs, who opposed the declaration, asked the court to void it on grounds of breach of fundamental rights.
However, Justice Omotosho ruled that Tinubu acted within the law, stressing that the measure was taken to avert a breakdown of law and order — a claim the plaintiffs did not contest.
“The contention of breach of fundamental rights by the president does not hold water because the appropriate law on emergency rule was invoked to prevent an unpleasant situation,” the judge said.
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He described the suit as “frivolous and baseless,” noting that the plaintiffs neither represented the mandate of the people of Rivers State nor showed they had suffered any injury beyond that of the general public.
The court further pointed out that none of the litigants was a member of the state executive council, legislature, or had obtained the consent of the Rivers State Attorney General before initiating the case.
Tinubu ended the emergency rule on September 18, 2025, after six months in place.
He disclosed that more than 40 lawsuits had been filed to challenge the declaration, with the most prominent being that of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) currently before the Supreme Court.