Farah Dagogo, a former House of Representatives member, has sued President Bola Tinubu and Rivers’ sole administrator, Ibok-Ete Ibas, over the state’s proclamation of emergency rule.
The complaint was filed before Adamu Mohammed, a judge at the federal high court in Port Harcourt, the state capital, to question the legitimacy of Siminalayi Fubara’s suspension as governor of Rivers and the state house of assembly.
The defendants in the suit are the president, the senate president, the senate, the speaker of the house of representatives, and the sole administrator of Rivers.
On March 18, Tinubu declared emergency rule in the oil-rich state, citing a protracted political crisis.
He also suspended Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and all members of the Rivers house of assembly for an initial period of six months.
The president appointed Ibas, a retired naval chief, as the state’s sole administrator.
Last Tuesday, Dagogo, through C. I. Enweluzo, his counsel, filed an ex parte application requesting that all the defendants be served the court processes through substituted means.
In his ruling, Mohammed ordered that court processes should be pasted on the defendants’ last known addresses through courier services.
“An order is hereby made for substituted service of the originating summons dated 28th March, 2025, and filed on the 2nd day of April, 2025, and all other accompanying and subsequent processes in this suit, on the defendants by posting same through DHL (courier service) to the last known address of the defendants,” the judge ruled.
The judge adjourned the case to May 12 for hearing.
