Politics
Emergency rule: Ex-lawmaker, Dagogo drags Tinubu, Akpabio, others to court
A Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has scheduled May 12, 2025, for the substantive hearing in a suit filed by former federal lawmaker, Farah Dagogo, challenging the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, and members of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
Listed as defendants in the suit are President Bola Tinubu, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, the Nigerian Senate, Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas, and the Sole Administrator of Rivers State, retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas.
At the hearing of a motion ex parte, counsel to the plaintiff, C. I. Enweluzo, SAN, sought leave of the court for substituted service of the originating summons and related court processes, citing difficulties in effecting personal service on the defendants.
The court granted the request.
Justice Adamu Turaki Mohammed, after reviewing an affidavit deposed to by Solomon Ayotamuno, a litigation assistant at Liberty Chambers, and listening to submissions from the plaintiff’s legal team, Femi Adegbite, Monday Dayi, Daso Jack, and D. Bakweri, granted the application for substituted service.
The court also ordered that hearing notices and other relevant court documents be served on the defendants via DHL courier service to their last known addresses, including: Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Asokoro, Abuja; the Senate, National Assembly Complex, Three Arms Zone, Abuja and Rivers State Government House, Old GRA, Port Harcourt.
President Tinubu had on March 18, 2025, declared a state of emergency in Rivers State, suspending democratic governance for an initial period of six months.
The president also suspended Governor Fubara, Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu, and all elected members of the State House of Assembly, appointing Ibas as sole administrator.
The action, subsequently ratified by the National Assembly, has sparked widespread criticism from political leaders, the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, civil society organizations, and other interest groups.
Chairman, Policy Manifesto Committee of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, John Odigie-Oyegun, says former president Muhammadu Buhari gave him the shock of his life, six months into his administration as Nigeria’s leader.
Oyegun made this disclosure on Friday when he featured in an interview on Arise Television’s ‘Prime Time’.
He revealed that as National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, he went to tell Buhari that he was not delivering his election promises to Nigerians but that the late president told him he would not rule with strictness, but rather wanted to show Nigerians that he is a true civilian president.
The former APC National Chairman lamented that it became business as usual, from there.
“I was national chairman of the APC. Six months or less into our assuming office, fairly alarmed, I went to the late President Buhari for a one-on-one talk. I said Mr President, this is not what the people were expecting. They wanted a bit of the old president Buhari.
“And he explained to me, Mr Chairman, I have learned my lesson. I was shocked. And don’t forget at that time, a lot of prominent Nigerians took their holidays abroad, just to be sure and see what this new sheriff in town will be.
“Buhari told me he wants to now show the people that he’s a true civilian president in Agbada. And by the time we finished the conversation, I said Oh God, we are finished. Because, if he’s not ready to be strict, what’s the point?
“Weeks later, months later, years later, I was proven correct. And of course, it became business as usual, only that they are a new set of tenants in Aso Rock. That was a shocker,” he said.
Former lawmaker, Dino Melaye Esq, has raised concerns over the Senate’s reported rejection of the electronic transmission of election results.
The move, according to Melaye, is a clear endorsement of election rigging and an indication of a sinister plan to rig the 2027 elections.
In a statement on Friday, the former lawmaker criticized the Senate’s decision, stating that it undermines the credibility of the electoral process.
The African Democratic Congress, ADC chieftain, also stated that the move opens the door for electoral manipulation and fraud.
He further warned that the rejection of electronic transmission of results is a step backwards for democracy in Nigeria.
Melaye called on lawmakers and citizens to stand up against “this blatant attempt to undermine the will of the people and ensure that future elections are free, fair, and transparent”.
Former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, has said Nigerians have every reason to be mad at the Senate over the ongoing debate on e-transmission of election results.
Ezekwesili made this known on Friday when she featured in an interview on Arise Television’s ‘Morning Show’ monitored by DAILY POST.
DAILY POST reports that the Senate on Wednesday turned down a proposed change to Clause 60, Subsection 3, of the Electoral Amendment Bill that aimed to compel the electronic transmission of election results.
Reacting to the matter, Ezekwesili said, “The fundamental issue with the review of the Electoral Act is that the Senate retained the INEC 2022 Act, Section 60 Sub 5.
“This section became infamous for the loophole it provided INEC, causing Nigerians to lose trust. Since the law established that it wasn’t mandatory for INEC to transmit electoral results in real-time, there wasn’t much anyone could say.
“Citizens embraced the opportunity to reform the INEC Act, aiming to address ambiguity and discretionary opportunities for INEC. Yet, the Senate handled it with a “let sleeping dogs lie” approach. The citizens have every reason to be as outraged as they currently are.”
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