The contentious August 30, 2025, local government elections in Rivers State have brought President Bola Tinubu before the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt.
Attorney Clifford Nnanta Chuku is requesting that the court deem the Emergency Powers Regulation, which Tinubu introduced to govern the elections, unlawful and void the polls in an action filed on September 11, 2025 (No. FHC/PH/CS/173/2025).
Chuku said that the rule, which suspended portions of the Rivers State election legislation and the Electoral Act 2022, was unconstitutional and threatened democracy.
Chuku contended that the President had overreached himself when he decided to suspend some provisions of the law in preparation for the Rivers elections.
Tinubu, the Attorney General of the Federation, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Federal Government, and the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) are all named as defendants in the lawsuit.
Whether the regulation unlawfully curtailed Rivers people’s democratic rights and whether RSIEC’s election notice complied with legal deadlines are the main questions on the court’s agenda.
Chuku is requesting a court judgment that would invalidate the rule, nullify the elections held on August 30, and require RSIEC to hold new elections in accordance with the Electoral Act.
The Federal High Court has scheduled a hearing on October 21, 2025.
According to legal experts, the case may influence future restrictions on the president’s authority in election-related concerns.
