Mr Marshall Stanley-Uwom, the former Deputy Speaker, Rivers House of Assembly, has prayed the Federal High Court in Abuja, to order the removal of the state Sole Administrator, retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas.
Stanley-Uwom, in a suit filed by his lawyer, Mr Sylvester Evbuomwan, also prayed the court to stop the Federal Government from releasing allocations accruable to the Local Government Areas ,LGAs, in the state through Ibas.
He urged the court to declare that by virtue of Section 7(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) as well as the judgement of the Supreme Court, Ibas cannot legally appoint unelected officials as caretakers to run the affairs of the LGAs in the state.
The plaintiff, in the originating summons marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/797/2025 dated and filed April 24, named the President; the National Assembly; the Senate; Senate President; House of Representatives; and Speaker of the House of Representatives as 1st to 6th defendants.
Also listed in the suit are Ibas, Central Bank of Nigeria ,CBN, Accountant General of the Federation and the Federation Account Allocation Committee ,FAAC, as 7th to 10th defendants respectively.
Stanley-Uwom sought “an order compelling the 7th defendant ,Ibas, to immediately vacate the office of Sole administrator of Rivers State and allow the democratically elected Governor of Rivers State to resume his office,’ among others.
The plaintiff, who told the court that he is a Prince of the Agba Royal Family of Abua, and the AdibaalAbuan 1 of Abua, in Abua-Odual LGA of Rivers State, posed four legal questions for the court.
In a 16-paragraphed affidavit he personally deposed to in support of the legal action, the plaintiff told the court that he had held several positions in Rivers State since 2004, including serving as the deputy speaker, Rivers State House of Assembly from 2015 to 2019.
“That I am a major stakeholder in Rivers State, as a politician, a traditional royal prince and amongst other, an elder statesman in Rivers State.
“That during the 2023 general elections Governor Siminalayi Fubara was elected Governor of Rivers State”.
He averred that while relying on Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution, the 1st defendant declared a state of emergency in Rivers State and also suspended Fubara as governor.
“That in line with Section 305 (6) (b) of the Constitution of The Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), the 1st defendant requested the resolution of the 2nd defendant supported by two-thirds majority of all the members of the 3rd and 5th defendants approving the proclamation of state of emergency in Rivers State as declared by the 1st defendant”.
Stanley-Uwom said the senate and the president of the senate, at a plenary sessions of March 20, approved the request to proclaim a state of emergency in Rivers.
He averred that the senate president and House of Representatives speaker only proclaimed that they had secured resolution of the senate and the house at their plenary sessions through voice votes.
“That upon taking over the affairs of the government of Rivers State, the 7th defendant sacked all the officers in charge of the affairs of the Local Government of Rivers State and appointed a new set of Local Government Caretaker Committee to run the affairs of the LGA’s in Rivers State.
“That the 7th defendant also removed from office the Chairman and members of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission ,RSIEC, appointed and confirmed by the Rivers State House of Assembly and appoint a new Chairman and members for the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission ,RSIEC.
“That the 8th, 9th and 10th defendants have been releasing allocations accruable to the LGAs of Rivers State to the appointed caretaker committees appointed by the 7th defendant and also releasing to the 7th defendant all allocations accrued to Rivers State.
“That the 7th defendant is utilising the fund of Rivers state without parliament appropriations.
“That it shall be in the interest of justice to grant all the reliefs in the originating summons”, he averred.
The matter is yet to be assigned to a judge.
