The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has scheduled April 10, 2025, for the hearing of a constitutional suit challenging the removal of the elected Governor and Deputy Governor of Rivers State and the appointment of a Sole Administrator in their place.
The legal action, instituted by Abuja-based lawyer Mr. Johnmary Jideobi, seeks to nullify the suspension of the state’s executive leadership and the subsequent appointment of Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas (Rtd) as Sole Administrator. The suit, filed under case number FHC/ABJ/CS/572/2025, has been assigned to Justice James Omotosho.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is named as the 1st defendant in the case. Other defendants include the Attorney-General of the Federation (2nd defendant), Vice Admiral Ibas (3rd defendant), and the Attorneys-General of the 36 states of the federation, who are listed as the 4th to 39th defendants.
Mr. Jideobi is asking the court to declare the actions of the President in appointing a Sole Administrator in Rivers State as unconstitutional and without legal backing under the 1999 Constitution, as amended. He also requests the court to invalidate all decisions and actions taken by Vice Admiral Ibas in the name of Rivers State Government, citing a lack of constitutional legitimacy.
The plaintiff argues that the removal or interruption of a Governor’s tenure can only occur under specific provisions of the Constitution — namely Sections 180, 188, 189, and 306 — and that the President has no authority to act otherwise, including through the declaration of a state of emergency not following due process.
Among the reliefs sought by the plaintiff are:
A declaration that the suspension of the Governor and Deputy Governor of Rivers State on March 18, 2025, by the President is unconstitutional, null, and void.
A declaration that the appointment and swearing-in of Vice Admiral Ibas as Sole Administrator is unlawful and of no legal effect.
An order directing Vice Admiral Ibas to immediately vacate the Government House in Rivers State.
A perpetual injunction restraining the President or anyone acting on his behalf from suspending or removing any state governor or deputy governor, or from appointing any Sole Administrator in their place.
In a 32-paragraph affidavit supporting the suit, Mr. Jideobi expressed grave concern over what he described as a dangerous constitutional precedent. He argued that the term “Sole Administrator” does not exist within the Nigerian Constitution and that the President lacks the power to unilaterally interfere with the tenure of elected state officials.
According to the affidavit, the plaintiff, in the interest of justice and to uphold the supremacy of the Constitution, seeks the court’s intervention to prevent what he terms the erosion of democratic governance and potential constitutional anarchy.
The case will come up for hearing on April 10, when the court is expected to begin deliberations on the constitutional questions raised in the suit.
