Tinubu Dragged To Court As Fresh Legal War Brews Over Rivers LG Polls

A fresh constitutional storm is gathering as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been dragged before the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt over the controversial Rivers State local government elections held on August 30, 2025.

The lawsuit, instituted on September 11 by Port Harcourt-based lawyer, Clifford Nnanta Chuku, seeks to nullify the polls and declare unconstitutional the Emergency Powers Regulation introduced by the President to guide the elections.

According to Chuku, the regulation—which suspended certain provisions of the Electoral Act 2022 as well as Rivers State electoral laws—not only violated the Constitution but also “struck at the very heart of democracy” by restricting the rights of Rivers people to choose their leaders under the law.

In suit number FHC/PH/CS/173/2025, the lawyer joined as defendants: President Tinubu, the Federal Government, the Attorney General of the Federation, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC).

Chuku further argued that RSIEC’s notice for the elections failed to comply with the legally mandated timelines, rendering the process fatally flawed. He is therefore asking the court to:

1. Strike down the controversial regulation;

2. Void the August 30 elections;

3. Compel RSIEC to conduct fresh polls strictly in line with the Electoral Act and other enabling laws.

The case has been slated for hearing on October 21, 2025, a date political analysts say could prove decisive in redefining the scope of presidential powers in Nigeria’s electoral process.

Observers believe the outcome may have far-reaching consequences, testing the constitutional boundaries of executive authority and shaping the future of state-level elections across the federation.