Rivers: Court adjourns suit seeking to sack Ibas as Tinubu, AGF absent
A Federal High Court in Abuja has adjourned to June 11 hearing in the suit seeking to sack the Sole Administrator for Rivers State, retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas. Justice James Omotosho adjourned the matter on Thursday to enable President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) to send […]
ibot ete ibas
A Federal High Court in Abuja has adjourned to June 11 hearing in the suit seeking to sack the Sole Administrator for Rivers State, retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas.
Justice James Omotosho adjourned the matter on Thursday to enable President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) to send legal representatives for the hearing of the suit.
Beside the absence of Tinubu and the AGF, the attorneys-general of Lagos, Bayelsa, Taraba and Edo states announced their appearances.
Earlier, counsel to the plaintiff, Chimezie Enuka, informed the court that all the defendants in the matter, except the attorneys-general of Zamfara and Bauchi states, were duly served with both the originating processes and the hearing notice.
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The legal action was instituted by an Abuja-based legal practitioner, Mr Johnmary Jideobi, against the president, AGF and the 36 states of the federation.
He asked the court to set-aside as void, “all actions and decisions, howsoever described or made, of the 3rd Defendant (Vice Admiral Ibas rtd) in the name of Sole Administrator of Rivers State, same being unconstitutional, null and of no constitutional force throughout the Federal Republic of Nigeria for all purposes.”
Jideobi is further asking the court to issue a perpetual order of injunction, restraining the 1st defendant (Tinubu) and his officials, “from removing, suspending or otherwise tampering with the tenure of the governor and deputy-governor of Rivers State.”
Likewise, an order of perpetual injunction, barring President Tinubu, “either by himself, his officers, agents, privies, servants or any other person acting under his command howsoever named, from appointing any Sole Administrator into any State Government House in the 36 of the Federation for any purpose whatsoever.”
In the originating summons he filed through a consortium of lawyers led by Enuka, the lawyer asked the court to determine:
“Whether in view of the combined provisions of the entirety of Sections 1, 5(2), 180, 188, 189, 305 and 306 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended, and their conflated interpretation, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1st Defendant herein) has any constitutional authority, whatsoever, to either remove, suspend or otherwise tamper with the tenure of the duly elected governor and deputy Governor of Rivers State (and indeed of any other State in Nigeria) and appoint a Sole Administrator (or any other substitute howsoever called or described) such as the 3rd Defendant (Ibas) for that State?”