Nelson Utip
The Supreme Court is under pressure to expedite action on a petition filed by seven governors from the Peoples Democratic Party PDP, challenging the emergency rule declared in Rivers State by President Bola Tinubu.
A civil society group, Advocates for Democratic Nigeria AFDN is one of the groups calling for urgent treatment of the petition.
The National Publicity Secretary of the group Comrade Kazeem Idris in a statement said it had learned that the governors had already approached the Supreme Court, seeking a date for the hearing of their case, the group bases their premise on this to appeal to the Supreme Court to as a matter of urgency grant the demand of the governors for a speedy action on the case as they believe that swift judicial intervention is crucial to safeguarding democratic governance and the rule of law.
“There is an urgent need for the court to grant the Governors’ prayers in order to save democracy and advance the course of our democratic jurisprudence.” Idris stated.
AFDN admonished that allowing the suspension of democratically-elected officials outside constitutionally-established processes would dent Nigeria’s democratic credentials:
“We understand that the plaintiffs: Governors of Adamawa, Enugu, Osun, Oyo, Bauchi, Akwa Ibom, Plateau, Delta, Taraba, Zamfara and Bayelsa states based their summons on the eight grounds contained in the suit marked SC/CV/329/2025; where they want the Supreme Court to determine whether the President has the constitutional authority to suspend a democratically-elected structure in any state in Nigeria and whether President Tinubu’s state of emergency in Rivers State, was not in negation of the 1999 Constitution.” Idris continued.
The Publicity Secretary of the group also called on the Supreme Court to undertake a swift and thorough interpretation of the relevant sections of the constitution.
“It is on this premise that we call on the apex court to hasten the process of properly interpreting the provisions of Sections 1(2), 5(2), 176, 180, 188, and 305 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, to determine whether the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, can lawfully suspend, or in any manner interfere with the offices of a Governor and Deputy Governor of any of the 36 component states of the Federation.
“And replace them with his own unelected nominee as a Sole Administrator under the guise of, or pursuant to, a Proclamation of a State of Emergency.” He concluded.
