Rivers elders sue Tinubu, Fubara, others over ‘unconstitutional’ agreement

At least six elders in Rivers State have filed a lawsuit against President Bola Tinubu and others to the Federal High Court, Abuja, for allegedly compelling Governor Siminilaya Fubara to sign an “unconstitutional agreement.”

The plaintiffs in the matter are a member of the state House of Assembly, Victor Jumbo, Senator Bennett Birabi, Senator Andrew Uchendu, Rear Admiral O. P. Fingesi, Ann Kio Briggs, and Emmanuel Deinma.

The president on Monday met with Fubara, and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesome Wike, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, to resolve the three-month impasse in the state.

At the meeting, President Tinubu ordered all the parties in the dispute to sheathe their words.

He also ordered the reinstatement of Martin Amaewhule as the Speaker of the Assembly, among other measures at the meeting.

Amaewhule and his foot soldiers have since been reinstated in the House in line with the presidential directive.

A former Commissioner for Water Resources in Rivers State, Chief David Briggs, told journalists on Wednesday that President Tinubu intimidated Governor Fubara into signing the peace agreement with the FCT minister.

Briggs, who claimed that he was present at the meeting called by the President in Aso Rock Villa, said the governor signed the resolution under duress.

In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1718/2023, the plaintiffs said the agreement was not only illegal but amounts to usurpation, nullification, and undermining of the relevant provisions of the 1999 Constitution.

They held that both the president and the governor did not have the statutory powers to stop the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from conducting fresh elections to replace the 27 lawmakers who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The plaintiffs asked the court to determine whether the president, the governor, and the Rivers Assembly have the right to enter into any agreement that would nullify or undermine the provisions of Section 109(I)(g) and (2) of the constitution, among other reliefs.

The president, the Attorney-General of the Federation, Governor Fubara, the Rivers Assembly, the Speaker of the Assembly, and the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, were listed as respondents in the suit.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now