Ex-Rivers Rep drags Tinubu, Akpabio, others to court over Fubara’s suspension
A Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has fixed May 12, 2025, for a substantive hearing in a suit challenging the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara and members of the state House Assembly.
The suit was filed by a former member of the National Assembly and former governorship aspirant of the Peoples Democraric Party in Rivers State during the 2023 general elections, Farah Dagogo.
To forestall difficulties in serving the defendants personally, the court granted an order for substituted services and fixed May 12, 2025 for hearing.
In the case with suit No: FHC/PH/CS/50/2025, and before Justice Adamu Turaki Mohammed, the plaintiff, Dagogo, had on Wednesday, April 9, 2025 approached the court seeking reliefs connected to actions bothering on the declaration of state of emergency in Rivers State and consequent suspension of the state governor and members of the state House of Assembly that involved President Bola Tinubu, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abass, and Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.), the Sole Administrator for Rivers State.
In the motion ex parte filed on April 8, 2025, the plaintiff’s legal team, led by C. I. Enweluzo, SAN, requested the court to grant permission for substituted service of the originating summons and other related court processes.
This was necessitated by difficulties in serving the defendants personally.
Justice Mohammed, after reviewing the affidavit sworn by Solomon Ayotamuno, a litigation assistant at Liberty Chambers, and hearing arguments from the plaintiff’s counsel—including Femi Adegbite, Monday Dayi., Daso Jack, and D. Bakweri.—granted the application and further directed that a hearing notice be issued, and the case adjourned to May 12, 2025, for a substantive hearing.
The court also ordered that all relevant court documents be served on the defendants through DHL courier service to their last known addresses.
Recall that Tinubu had, on March 18, 2025, declared a state of emergency in Rivers State with an initial six-month suspension of democratic governance.
Tinubu further appointed Ibas as the sole administrator of the state for an initial period of six months.
Dagogo represented Degeme/Bonny Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives.
