Johnmary Jideobi, a lawyer based in Abuja has sued President Bola Tinubu at the Federal High Court in Abuja for the appointment of Vice Admiral Ibok-Ette Ibas (rtd) as the Sole Administrator of Rivers State.
The lawyer is asking the court to nullify all actions and decisions made by Ibas in his capacity as Sole Administrator, positing that the appointment is not constitutional and has no legal standing.
He also seeks a perpetual injunction to stop the President from removing, suspending, or interfering with the tenure of any elected governor or deputy governor in Nigeria and appointing a Sole Administrator for any state in the federation.
The suit is filed through a team of lawyers led by Chimezie Enuka and is challenging Tinubu’s authority to appoint a state administrator, citing various sections of the 1999 Constitution. He argues that the removal of a governor of a state is only permitted under specific constitutional provisions, none of which justify the President’s actions in Rivers State:
“The purported suspension of the Governor and Deputy Governor of Rivers State by the President on March 18, 2025, is unconstitutional, null, and void” The suit states.
The lawyer also said that Nigeria’s federal system is based on separation of powers, therefore it’s not lawful for the President to unilaterally remove a state governor, warning that allowing such an anomaly to stand could lead to widespread political instability:
“I have never seen the term ‘Sole Administrator’ in the 1999 Constitution.” He stated.
Jideobi posits that the court’s intervention is necessary to prevent an abuse of power and uphold the rule of law. He is praying the court to order the Sole Administrator, Ibokette Ibas to vacate the Rivers State Government House without delay.
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