Rivers Crisis: Group Sues Tinubu, Fubara, INEC

Six leaders from Rivers State have dragged President Bola Tinubu to the Federal High Court in Abuja for allegedly compelling Governor Siminilaya Fubara to enter into what they called an unconstitutional agreement.

They insist that the said agreement which was signed on December 18 was not only illegal but amounted to an usurpation, nullification, and undermining of the extant/relevant provisions of the 1999 Constitution as amended.

The plaintiffs led by a member of the Rivers State House of Assembly representing Bonny State Constituency, Victor Jumbo, are Senator Bennett Birabi, Senator Andrew Uchendu, Rear Admiral O. P. Fingesi, Ann Kio Briggs, and Emmanuel Deinma.

They are Consequently praying the court to determine whether President Tinubu, Governor Fubara, and the Rivers State Assembly have the rights, and are entitled to enter into any agreement that has the effect of nullifying or undermining the constitution and provisions of Section 109(I)(g) and (2) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.

They contend that neither President Tinubu nor Governor Fubara has the statutory powers to stop the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from conducting fresh elections to replace the 27 Rivers State lawmakers.

The rift between Fubara and his predecessor Nyesom Wike, split the state house of assembly into two, with 27 of them decamping from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

That led the Edison Ehie group to declare the seats of the 27 members vacant.

However, President Tinubu had on Monday met with Fubara and Wike at the Aso Villa in Abuja.

After Monday’s meeting, the President directed that the warring parties withdraw all matters instituted in the courts by Fubara, and his team and that the leadership of Martin Amaewhule in the Rivers State House of Assembly be recognised, and not that of Edison Ehie.