Rivers elders sue Tinubu, AGF, INEC, others over alleged unlawful agreement

The President, Bola Tinubu, the Attorney General of the Federation AGF and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC have been dragged before a Federal High Court in Abuja over an alleged unlawful agreement on the ragging power tussle in the state.

Tinubu was sued alongside Governor Fubara, Rivers State House of Assembly, Speaker of the House of the and the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC.

Plaintiffs in the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1718/2023 are members of the Rivers State House of Assembly representing Bonny State Constituency, Victor Jumbo, Senator Bennett Birabi, Senator Andrew Uchendu, Rear Admiral O. P. Fingesi, Ann Kio Briggs and Emmanuel Deinma.

The grouse of the aggrieved elders is centred on the alleged unlawful agreement imposed on the Governor in the bid to resolve the political logjam in the state.

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

They are praying the court to, among other things, 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 constitutional/legal potency of the provisions of Section 109(I)(g) and (2) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.

They contended 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.

They said lawmakers defected from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to the All Progressives Congress, APC.

No date has yet been fixed for hearing of the suit.