Group asks s’court to expedite ruling in PDP governors’ suit on emergency rule

A pressure group, Advocates for Democratic Nigeria (AfDN), has asked the supreme court to fast-track the hearing of the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors challenging the declaration of emergency rule by President Bola Tinubu in Rivers state.

In a statement issued on Friday by Kazeem Idris, its publicity secretary, the group urged the apex court to set a date for the hearing of the suit.

AfDN stressed the urgency of resolving the matter, calling on the court to grant the PDP governors’ request to reverse the emergency rule in Rivers state.

The group noted that the declaration of emergency in Rivers, particularly following the suspension of Siminalayi Fubara, the governor, and his deputy, has heightened the crisis in the state.

AfDN argued that swift action is needed to restore democratic order and prevent further instability.

The PDP governors who filed the case, including those from Adamawa, Enugu, Osun, Oyo, Bauchi, Akwa Ibom, Plateau, Delta, Taraba, Zamfara, and Bayelsa states, have grounded their petition on eight key issues, as outlined in the suit marked SC/CV/329/2025.

They are seeking the supreme court’s interpretation on whether the president has the constitutional power to suspend a democratically elected state structure and whether the emergency declaration in Rivers violates the 1999 Constitution.

AfDN also called on the supreme court to expeditiously interpret relevant constitutional provisions, including sections 1(2), 5(2), 176, 180, 188, and 305, to clarify whether the president can lawfully suspend or replace elected state governors and their deputies with an unelected sole administrator.

This is an AI-assisted report