Breaking News: When I Declared Emergency, Rivers Had No Functioning Government” — Tinubu Tells Supreme Court Amid Legal Challenge Over State Takeover
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has told the Supreme Court of Nigeria that his declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State on March 18, 2025, was prompted by a total breakdown in governance, warning that the crisis posed an imminent threat to public order and safety.
In a counter-affidavit filed on May 20, President Tinubu, along with the Attorney-General of the Federation, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), the appointed Sole Administrator, Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, and suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, argued that the emergency rule was constitutionally justified.
“There is a clear and present danger of an imminent breakdown of public order and public safety in Rivers State,” the affidavit stated, highlighting what it described as an “intractable conflict” between the executive and legislative arms of the state government.
The submission was made in response to a legal suit filed by Yirabari Israel Nulong, Nengim Ikpoemugh Royal, and Gracious Eyoh-Sifumbukho, who are urging the court to nullify the emergency proclamation.
Filed on behalf of the Presidency by Taiye Hussain Oloyede, Senior Special Assistant to the President (State House) and a representative of the Federal Ministry of Justice, the affidavit described a state on the brink of chaos.
“As at 18 March 2025, when the 1st Defendant issued the Proclamation, the executive and legislative organs of the Rivers State Government were still mired in conflict and there was no indication that the impasse was about to be resolved,” the court document stated.
“Indeed, so intractable was the conflict that it paralysed the organs of government in the state and jeopardised public safety and order.”
Oloyede added that the President acted under constitutional powers and with the endorsement of both chambers of the National Assembly. Following the declaration, Admiral Ibas was appointed as Sole Administrator to oversee governance in the oil-rich state.
While the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and several civic groups have publicly opposed the move citing constitutional overreach and democratic backsliding the Presidency maintains that the emergency was declared in full accordance with the 1999 Constitution and relevant legal precedents.
The matter is now before the Supreme Court, with legal analysts noting that the outcome of the case could have far-reaching implications for federal-state relations and the limits of presidential authority during political crises.