The Federal High Court in Port Harcourt has fixed May 12, 2025, for the substantive hearing in a politically charged lawsuit filed by former federal lawmaker Farah Dagogo, as Rivers State continues to reel from the fallout of a controversial emergency declaration that suspended its democratic institutions.
Dagogo, a one-time governorship aspirant under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is challenging President Bola Tinubu’s March 18 proclamation of a state of emergency in Rivers.
The declaration, which led to the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and the entire State House of Assembly, has drawn sharp rebuke from legal and civil society circles.
The suit, registered as FHC/PH/CS/50/2025, not only contests the legitimacy of the emergency declaration but also takes aim at the National Assembly’s endorsement of Tinubu’s sweeping action.
Named as defendants are President Tinubu, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, House Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, the Nigerian Senate, and the man now governing Rivers as sole administrator, retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas.
At a recent hearing, Dagogo’s legal team, led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria C. I. Enweluzo, sought the court’s permission to serve the defendants through substituted means, citing difficulties in reaching them personally.
Justice Adamu Turaki Mohammed granted the request after reviewing evidence submitted by the plaintiff’s team, which included affidavits from Liberty Chambers and arguments from several lawyers.
The judge ordered that all legal documents be delivered via DHL courier to official addresses of the defendants—including Aso Rock Presidential Villa, the National Assembly Complex, and the Rivers State Government House.
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President Tinubu’s decision to suspend the elected state leadership has been framed as a necessary move to stabilize a deteriorating security situation, but critics have denounced it as unconstitutional overreach.
Among the vocal opponents are the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), civil rights groups, and several political figures.
The upcoming court date is now seen as a critical test for the judiciary amid concerns about executive encroachment on state autonomy and democratic norms.
As the legal battle unfolds, the political temperature in Rivers remains high, with loyalists of both Governor Fubara and his rival, former governor Nyesom Wike, locked in a deepening standoff.