A fresh lawsuit has been filed against President Bola Tinubu before a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, over the controversial Rivers State local government elections held on August 30, 2025, and the state of emergency which ended recently.
In a suit filed on September 11, 2025 (No. FHC/PH/CS/173/2025), Clifford Nnanta Chuku, a lawyer, is asking the court to nullify the polls and declare unconstitutional the Emergency Powers Regulation introduced by Tinubu to guide the elections.
Chuku argued that the regulation, which suspended parts of the Electoral Act 2022 and Rivers State electoral laws, violated the constitution and undermined democracy.
Chuku argued that the President’s decision to suspend parts of the law for the Rivers elections was unconstitutional and amounted to overreach.
The suit lists Tinubu, the Federal Government, the Attorney General of the Federation, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) as defendants.
The key issues before the court are whether the regulation illegally restricted the democratic rights of Rivers people, and whether RSIEC’s notice for the election met the required legal timelines.
Chuku is seeking a court order striking down the regulation, voiding the August 30 polls, and compelling RSIEC to conduct fresh elections in full compliance with the Electoral Act.
The Federal High Court has fixed October 21, 2025, for hearing.
Legal analysts say the case could shape future limits of presidential powers in election matters.
