Politics
SERAP sues Tinubu over Fubara, deputy, lawmakers’ suspension
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, has taken President Bola Tinubu to court over what it calls the “unlawful suspension” of the Rivers State Governor, his deputy, and House of Assembly members.
The six-month suspension was announced while the president proclaimed a state of emergency in the state.
SERAP argued that the decision violates constitutional provisions and undermines democratic governance.
The lawsuit, filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday, was initiated by three members of SERAP’s Volunteers’ Lawyers Network (SVLN) in Rivers State—Yirabari Israel Nulog, Nengim Ikpoemugh Royal, and Gracious Eyoh-Sifumbukho.
The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), and Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.) have also been joined as defendants.
The suit, numbered FHC/ABJ/CS/558/2025, demands “an order setting aside the suspension of the democratically elected officials in Rivers State by President Tinubu while proclaiming a state of emergency in the state” and “an order setting aside the appointment of Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.) as the Sole Administrator of Rivers State.”
SERAP, in a statement by its Deputy Director Kolawole Oluwadare on Sunday, argued that “the rule of law would be a mere figure of speech if the people’s right to participation can be arbitrarily suspended or violated.”
“Democracy is an inherent element of the rule of law. Nigeria’s democracy ought to have as its foundation respect for human rights and the rule of law,” the statement read.
SERAP insists that the suspension contradicts both the Nigerian Constitution and international legal obligations, citing the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the African Charter on Democracy, Elections, and Governance.
“The combined provisions of Sections 1(2), 14(1)(c), 176(1)(2), and 305(1) of the Nigerian Constitution create a delicate balance of rights and responsibilities, ensuring that the exercise of presidential power does not override the people’s right to participate in their own governance,” the organisation asserted.
It further argued that Section 305, which grants the president powers to declare a state of emergency, “is neither absolute nor superior to other provisions of the Constitution,” stressing that such power must be exercised in a way that upholds democratic participation.
“The suspension of the democratically elected officials in Rivers State has seriously undermined the ability of the plaintiffs to participate more effectively in their own government, the credibility and integrity of the country’s electoral process, and the notion of the rule of law,” SERAP stated.
Among other reliefs sought, the plaintiffs are asking the court for a declaration that Tinubu’s actions are “unlawful, unconstitutional, null, and void” and an injunction restraining the appointed sole administrator from acting in that capacity.
“No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit,” the statement concluded.
Former Governor of Delta State and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential running mate in the 2023 election, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, has dumped the PDP for the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Okowa confirmed the news of his defection to ARISE NEWS on Wednesday following the announcement of the current governor of Delta State, Sheriff Oborevwori, who also defected from the PDP to the APC on Wednesday.
The development was disclosed by Senator James Manager after a six-hour meeting at Government House, Asaba.
“All PDP members in the state, including the governor, former Governor Okowa, the Speaker, the state party chairman, all the local government chairmen and others, have agreed to move to the APC,” Manager stated. “We cannot continue to be in a sinking boat.”
Delta State Commissioner for Information, Mr Aniagwu Charles, officially confirmed the sweeping political shift, attributing the decision to the need for renewed direction and enhanced governance in the state.
“There is a need for us to adjust our drinking patterns. And in adjusting that drinking pattern, we needed to make a decision that would further help to cement the development in our state,” he said.
Aniagwu added that the move aimed to sustain progress in law, security, and welfare, likening the PDP to a “palm wine whose taste has changed,” necessitating a change in “drinking party”.
He further indicated that the defection was unanimously agreed upon by key PDP leaders and stakeholders in the state, with a formal public declaration expected on Monday.
“By the grace of God, on Monday next week, we will be able to make a very big statement confirming that we are moving into the APC,” he said.
The mass defection represents a dramatic realignment in Delta State’s political landscape and could significantly alter party dynamics in the broader South-South region, historically a PDP stronghold.
Okowa will be received on Monday by Vice President Kashim Shettima alongside Governor Oborevwori.
However, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Yemi Adaramodu (APC, Ekiti South), has dismissed moves by some political actors to form a coalition with the aim of defeating President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general election, describing them as content creators.
Obi, the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 election, left the PDP in June 2022, citing inability to make “constructive contributions.”
In an interview with the ‘Mic On podcast’ hosted by Seun Okinbaloye, the PDP chief said, “Obi needs a bigger platform” going forward.
“Looking ahead to 2027, the PDP of Nigeria will open its processes, announce when the forms are available, and anyone who feels confident enough to contest should step forward and do so.
“If I were Peter Obi, I would return to the PDP and make a strong case for the presidential ticket. I believe he should come back to the party. This party was originally conceived in the bedroom of (the late) Alex Ekwueme; so, I don’t understand why the Igbo, along with southern leaders and other influential figures within the PDP, can’t come together and say, ‘Alright, we recognise this – here’s the ticket.”
He noted that if Obi could secure over six million votes on his own, without governors or major support, just imagine what he could achieve with 12 governors and a solid grassroots infrastructure.
“We’ve covered every region, but we have not gone to the South East yet. Still, Obi is free to make his own decisions. If his numbers and the animated energy that is following him were to follow him into the PDP and he is the presidential candidate, I can guarantee you he would take the South East, South South, the Christian North and North Central,” he added.
The PDP stalwart clarified that he was only speaking hypothetically in response to a question about possible political alignments ahead of 2027.
RECENTLY, some political heavyweights in the opposition, including former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar and former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir el-Rufai, broached talks for a coalition that would oust the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027.
Addressing journalists in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, capital, yesterday, where the APC caucus in the state met to endorse the President for a second term, Adaramodu explained that Tinubu, in less than two years, initiated programmes and policies impacting positively on the citizens.
He lauded the President for his decisive economic reforms that revitalised the country’s economy as well as his comprehensive security strategies that, according to him, addressed insecurity in the country.
The Senate spokesman said APC was not disturbed about the movement of the opposition figures, describing it as a political entertainment that would not affect the expected victory of Tinubu.
He appealed to Nigerians not to take the promoters of the coalition for 2027 seriously, but remain committed and continue their support for Tinubu in his quest to deliver his Renewed Hope Agenda for the country.
Ben Nwoye, the former chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Enugu, has resigned his membership of the party.
Nwoye announced his departure from the party during a press conference in Enugu on Thursday, citing a resignation letter addressed to the Amurri Ward chairman.
Nwoye, who served as the chairman of the APC in the state between 2014 and 2021, said the party in the south-east is plagued by “vindictive politics”.
He also cited an “irreconcilable internal crisis” in Enugu and across the south-east as his reason for quitting the ruling party.
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“With a deep sense of responsibility, I write to inform you that I hereby resign as a member of APC,” he said.
Nwoye said the Enugu chapter of the party had disintegrated beyond repair, adding that there are only two skeletal factions of the APC left in the state, each controlled by opposing leaders.
“The bunch of the broom, which we painstakingly tied together in 2013 at a time when we were called unprintable names, has loosened and permanently scattered,” he said.
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“All efforts made by the party elders to gather the broom and reassemble it have failed.
“In its current form, further attempts to reassemble the broom in Enugu state is no longer practicable.
“One of the strong men claims chairmanship by judicial pronouncement; the other claims chairmanship through arrogant disobedience of the same judicial pronouncement, aided by the silent approval of the national leadership.
“To them, the supremacy of the party is measured by how low they could go to oppress their perceived political enemies.
“These they do, without recourse to the core principles upon which APC stands—justice, peace, and unity.
“To say the least, the zonal leadership in the south-east has lost direction.”
The ex-chairman alleged that the APC national leadership has “ignored the Enugu crisis, disregarding reconciliation calls and alienating loyal members, exacerbating party conflicts”.
He added that the party’s regional leadership is not interested in expanding beyond the two states it currently controls.
“In the meantime, the national leadership of the party is basking in the euphoria of power, being the party under which the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the majority of the members of the national assembly were elected,” he said.
“The APC national leadership has therefore maintained willful blindness; hence, allowing the warring factions to self-destruct and strangulate the party in Enugu state.
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“Loyal party members calling for party unity are treated like conquered and captured political warriors.
“On the basis stated above, I engaged in extensive consultations with my grassroots followers, and I have come to the conclusion that it is time to move on.
“I am not a political prisoner. I have never been, and I can never be.”
Nwoye added that the problems in Enugu are also evident in other south-east states.
He cited the case of Anambra, where, according to him, the party leadership ignored the input of a senior figure before picking its governorship candidate.
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