Rivers Crisis: Group Sues Tinubu, Fubara, INEC
President Bola Tinubu is being sued by six Rivers State leaders in the Federal High Court of Abuja for allegedly pressuring Governor Siminilaya Fubara to sign what they claim is an unlawful contract. In addition to being unconstitutional, they maintain that the aforementioned agreement, which was signed on December 18, amounted to usurpation, nullification, and weakening the relevant and existing articles of the 1999 Constitution as modified. The plaintiffs include Senators Bennett Birabi, Andrew Uchendu, Ann Kio Briggs, Rear Admiral O. P. Fingesi, and Emmanuel Deinma. The plaintiffs are led by Victor Jumbo, a member of the Rivers State House of Assembly who represents the Bonny State Constituency. As a result, they are requesting that the court rule on whether President Tinubu, Governor Fubara, and the Rivers State Assembly possess the legal authority to enter into any kind of agreement that could potentially undermine or nullify the 1999 Constitution and its provisions found in Section 109(I)(g) and (2). They argue that neither Governor Fubara nor President Tinubu have the legal authority to prevent the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from holding new elections to replace the 27 legislators from Rivers State. The state house of assembly was divided into two factions because to the disagreement between Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike. As a result, 27 members of the PDP defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). As a result, the Edison Ehie group declared the 27 members’ seats vacant. On Monday, though, President Tinubu met with Wike and Fubara at the Aso Villa in Abuja. Following the meeting on Monday, the President issued an order for the warring parties to withdraw all cases filed in court by Fubara and his associates, as well as for Martin Amaewhule to be regarded as the head of the Rivers State House of Assembly rather than Edison Ehie.