By: Felix Ikpotor
A former member of the House of Representatives, Dr. Farah Dagogo, has lamented the impacts of the emergency rule earlier imposed on Rivers State by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, describing it as detrimental to the state’s economy.
Dagogo made the remarks while reacting to Tuesday’s resumed hearing at the Federal High Court, Abuja, in Suit No. FHC/PH/CS/50/2025, in which he is challenging the President’s constitutional authority to suspend democratically elected government officials.
The case which was originally filed in the Port Harcourt Division of the Federal High Court, was reassigned to Abuja following a directive from the Attorney General of the Federation to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court.
During the proceedings, Babatunde Ogala, SAN, counsel to the first respondent (President Tinubu), had urged the court to adopt its previous rulings on similar cases challenging the presudent’s powers, which were dismissed for lack of jurisdiction.
But, Barr. Babafemi Adegbite, counsel to Dr. Dagogo, requested to make an oral argument, stressing that the plaintiff seeks to demonstrate why the court has jurisdiction and why this case should be distinguished from earlier ones.
However, in his ruling, Justice James Omotosho directed the plaintiff to file a written address to substantiate its jurisdictional argument and adjourned the matter to Friday, October 10, 2025, for further deliberation.
Speaking after the hearing, Dr. Dagogo, through his counsel, reiterated that despite the lifting of the emergency rule, the constitutional issue at stake remains unresolved.
Dagogo’s response was contained in a statement by his media aide, Ibrahim Lawal and made available to journalists in Port Harcourt.
He said: “We know and still believe that the President did not have the power to do what he did”.
“Proceeding with this suit even after the suspension has been lifted is not an academic exercise. We seek judicial clarification for the sake of posterity and are prepared to go as far as the Supreme Court, God willing.”
The former lawmaker added that the court must make a definitive pronouncement to prevent what he described as a “dangerous precedent” that could embolden future administrations to suspend elected officials at will for political reasons.
Lamented the negative impact of the six month emergency rule on Rivers State, Dagogo noted that governance and development were effectively paralyzed despite substantial federal allocations.
“For the six months that the emergency rule lasted, Rivers State and its people were the casualties. Governance was stalled, development stagnated, and the state suffered despite the enormous resources available,” he said.
Tuesday’s session was the first time since the commencement of the suit that all parties were fully represented. The defendants in the case include President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas, and Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (Rtd.), who served as the Rivers State Administrator during the emergency rule period.
