The Federal High Court in Abuja has set 18 July to deliver its ruling on an application seeking to bar Nigeria’s National Assembly from approving appointments or budgets for Rivers State, currently overseen by a presidentially appointed Sole Administrator.
Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd.) was appointed by President Bola Tinubu to lead Rivers State after Governor Siminalayi Fubara was suspended for six months. The move prompted protests and legal action from local groups who claim the appointment undermines constitutional democracy.
Justice James Omotosho fixed the ruling date after hearing arguments from the plaintiffs’ lawyer, Ambrose Owuru, and the defence counsel representing the National Assembly and its Clerk, Mohammed Galadima.
The suit, filed under reference FHC/ABJ/CS/1190/2025, was brought by a coalition of Rivers State indigenes and the Registered Trustees of Hope Africa Foundation, along with local chiefs and community leaders. They are seeking an interlocutory injunction to prevent the National Assembly from endorsing budgets and appointments put forward by Ibas.
In court, Owuru argued that the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State lacked constitutional backing. He claimed the National Assembly’s approval, granted through a voice vote, failed to meet the required two-thirds majority.
The plaintiffs alleged that, since the suit was filed in June, the National Assembly has continued to approve budgets and appointments made by the “illegally installed” administrator, potentially escalating political tension and unrest in the state.
In response, counsel for the National Assembly dismissed the claims as “contrived falsehoods,” insisting that the legislature had acted within constitutional boundaries. Galadima argued that granting the injunction would harm governance in Rivers State and disrupt the delivery of public services.
Justice Omotosho will rule on whether to grant the injunction on 18 July.
Meanwhile, the Senate has already passed the ₦1.485 trillion 2025 budget for Rivers State, despite ongoing legal disputes.
