Seven governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have challenged the suspension of their Rivers State counterpart, Siminalaye Fubara, at the Supreme Court.
President Bola Tinubu had last Tuesday declared a state of emergency in Rivers over the prolonged political crisis in the state.
He also suspended Fubara, his deputy, and members of the state House of Assembly for six months over their roles in the crisis.
The governors – Ahmadu Fintiri (Adamawa), Bala Mohammed (Bauchi), Douye Diri (Bayelsa), Peter Mbah (Enugu), Ademola Adeleke (Osun), Caleb Mutfwang (Plateau), and Lawal Dauda (Zamfara) – are challenging the President’s power to suspend their colleague in the suit filed by the states’ Attorney-Generals.
President Tinubu and the National Assembly were listed as respondents in the suit.
They asked the court to declare that the President has no powers whatsoever or authority to suspend a democratically elected governor and deputy governor of a state in the Federation of Nigeria under the guise of or pursuant to the proclamation of a state of emergency in any state of the federation, among other reliefs.