By: Felix Ikpotor
A Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State Capital has fixed May 12, 2025 for substantive hearing in a suit challenging the suspension of both Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the State Assembly Members by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The suit was filed by a former National and State Assembly Member, Dr. Farah Dagogo
To forestall difficulties in serving the defendants personally, the court granted an order for substituted services and fixed May 12, 2025 for hearing.
In the case with Suit No: FHC/PH/CS/50/2025, and pending before Justice Adamu Turaki Mohammed, the plaintiff, Farah Dagogo, who was a Governorship Aspirant in the 2023 elections, had on Wednesday, April 9, 2025 approached the court seeking reliefs connected to actions bothering on the Declaration of State of Emergency in Rivers State and consequent suspension of the State Governor and Members of the State House of Assembly.
The suit has President Bola Ahmed Tinubu , the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, the Senate of the Federal Republic, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Tajudeen Abass, and Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (Rtd), the recently installed Sole Administrator for Rivers State as defendants.
In the motion ex parte filed on April 8, 2025, the Plaintiff’s legal team, led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), C. I. Enweluzo, requested the court to grant permission for substituted service of the originating summons and other related Court Processes. This was necessitated by difficulties in serving the Defendants personally.
Justice Mohammed, after reviewing the affidavit sworn by Solomon Ayotamuno, a litigation assistant at Liberty Chambers, and hearing arguments from the Plaintiff’s counsel—including Femi Adegbite Esq., Monday. Dayi Esq., Daso Jack, and D. Bakweri Esq.—granted the application and
further directed that a hearing notice be issued, and the case adjourned to May 12, 2025, for substantive hearing.
The court also ordered that all relevant court documents be served on the defendants through DHL courier service to their last known addresses.
