President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has taken a new step in the ongoing legal battle over the suspension of Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara. The Nigerian leader has asked the Supreme Court to dismiss the case filed by governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who are challenging his authority on the matter.
The PDP governors had approached the apex court, urging it to clarify whether President Tinubu has the constitutional power to declare a state of emergency in Rivers State and remove an elected governor from office.
It will be recalled that earlier in April, President Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers, citing an unending political crisis, and went ahead to announce the suspension of Governor Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and all members of the state’s House of Assembly.
Ibok-Ete Ibas Takes Charge of Rivers’ Affairs
Following the suspension of the state’s elected officials, President Tinubu named Ibok-Ete Ibas as the sole administrator of Rivers State to manage its affairs temporarily. This development drew sharp criticism from PDP governors, who collectively challenged the president’s action at the Supreme Court.
Some of the governors who filed the case include Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa, Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom, Bala Mohammed of Bauchi, Douye Diri of Bayelsa, and Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State. Others are Peter Mbah of Enugu, Ademola Adeleke of Osun, Seyi Makinde of Oyo, Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau, Agbu Kefas of Taraba, and Dauda Lawal of Zamfara.
Interestingly, all these governors are PDP members, although Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, recently left the party for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Political Defections and Alignments Stir Tension
The APC, which is President Tinubu’s party, appears to be making inroads among PDP governors. Akwa Ibom’s Governor Umo Eno has already declared his support for Tinubu’s bid for a second term in office, fueling speculations about his potential defection to the APC.
At the moment, it remains uncertain whether the possible defection of these governors might affect their participation in the lawsuit challenging Tinubu’s state of emergency declaration in Rivers. Political observers have described these movements as some of the most strategic developments in President Tinubu’s first two years in office.
Meanwhile, reports have emerged suggesting that Governor Siminalayi Fubara may also be considering a switch from the PDP to the APC. It was gathered that the embattled governor recently held a meeting with President Tinubu in London, where fresh negotiations between him and his estranged political mentor, Nyesom Wike, were allegedly brokered by the president.
