The Supreme Court is facing pressure to speed up action on a petition filed by seven governors from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The governors are challenging the emergency rule declared in Rivers State by President Bola Tinubu.
Among those demanding expedited action on the petition is a civil society group, Advocates for Democratic Nigeria (AfDN).
In a statement released by the group’s National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Kazeem Idris, AfDN said it had learned that the governors had already approached the Supreme Court, seeking a date for the hearing of their case.
The group said this development formed the basis of its appeal to the Supreme Court to grant the reliefs sought by the plaintiffs without further delay, stressing that swift judicial intervention is crucial to safeguarding democratic governance and the rule of law.
“There is an urgent need for the court to grant the Governors’ prayers in order to save democracy and advance the course of our democratic jurisprudence,” Idris stated.
The group warned that allowing the suspension of democratically-elected officials outside constitutionally-established processes would send the wrong signal regarding Nigeria’s commitment to democratic ideals.
“We understand that the plaintiffs: Governors of Adamawa, Enugu, Osun, Oyo, Bauchi, Akwa Ibom, Plateau, Delta, Taraba, Zamfara and Bayelsa states based their summons on the eight grounds contained in the suit marked SC/CV/329/2025; where they want the Supreme Court to determine whether the President has the constitutional authority to suspend a democratically-elected structure in any state in Nigeria and whether President Tinubu’s state of emergency in Rivers State, was not in negation of the 1999 Constitution,” Idris said.
He further urged the Supreme Court to undertake a swift and thorough interpretation of the relevant constitutional provisions.
“It is on this premise that we call on the apex court to hasten the process of properly interpreting the provisions of Sections 1(2), 5(2), 176, 180, 188, and 305 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, to determine whether the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, can lawfully suspend, or in any manner interfere with the offices of a Governor and Deputy Governor of any of the 36 component states of the Federation.
“And replace them with his own unelected nominee as a Sole Administrator under the guise of, or pursuant to, a Proclamation of a State of Emergency.”