House to Inaugurate 19-man Ad Hoc Committee on Rivers Oversight Tomorrow

*Farah drags Tinubu, Akpabio, Ibas, others to court over Fubara’s suspension

*FHC grants substituted service orders, fixes hearing for May 12
*HURIWA condemns systematic pulling down of democratic structures in state

Chuks Okocha, Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja and Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

The House of Representatives will Tomorrow  inaugurate a 19-man  ad-hoc committee on Rivers State oversight in furtherance of its constitutional mandate and commitment to transparent governance.
Spokesperson of the House, Hon. Akin Rotimi, said this followed the resolution of the National Assembly approving the proclamation, with amendments, of President Bola Tinubu, declaring a State of Emergency in the State.

This was as a Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State Capital, has fixed May 12, 2025 for substantive hearing in a suit filed by a former National and State Assembly Member, Dr Farah Dagogo, against the suspension of both Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the State Assembly members.
To forestall difficulties in serving the defendants personally, the court has also granted an order for substituted services and fixed May 12, 2025 for hearing.

At the same time, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has lambasted the Rivers Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok Ete-Ibas (rtd), for the way he has allegedly gone about demolishing all democratic structures in the state..

However, the House said, the proclamation presented to the National Assembly by the president was subjected to rigorous legislative consideration and duly amended to strengthen democratic safeguards and uphold the principles of checks and balances.

Rotimi noted: “One of the most consequential amendments was the designation of the National Assembly – rather than the Federal Executive Council – as the oversight authority for all regulations issued under the emergency arrangement.
“In line with Section 5 of the State of Emergency (Rivers State) Proclamation, 2025, and pursuant to Section 11(4) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the House has constituted a dedicated Ad-Hoc Committee to monitor implementation and ensure that governance in the state remains within the bounds of constitutionalism and rule of law.”

The spokesperson stressed that this development underscored the resolve of the House to uphold the supremacy of the Constitution and ensure that the extraordinary measures undertaken during the emergency period remained subject to legislative oversight, guided by transparency, accountability, and the best interest of the good people of Rivers State.
Rotimi said members of the Committee included Prof. Julius Ihonvbere as  Chairman, and Hon. Ali Isa as, Deputy Chairman.

Others were Hon. Isiaka Ibrahim, Hon. Idris Wase, Hon. Aliyu Betera,  Hon. Sada Soli – Member, Hon. James Faleke, Hon. Igariwey Enwo, Hon. Shehu Rijau, Hon. Wole Oke, Hon. Akarachi Amadi, Hon. Patrick Umoh, and Hon. James Barka.
Also on the committee were Hon. Alex Egbona, Hon. Isa Anka, Hon. Amos Daniel, Hon. Erhiatake Ibori-Suenu, Hon. Onuh Blessing, Hon. Fatima Talba, while the Head of Secretariat is Prof. Jake Dan-Azumi.

Farah Drags Tinubu, Akpabio, Ibas, Others to Court

A Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State Capital, has fixed May 12, 2025 for substantive hearing in a suit filed by a former National and State Assembly Member, Dr Farah Dagogo, against the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the State Assembly members.

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 before Honourable 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.

He sought reliefs connected to actions bordering on the declaration of a State of Emergency in Rivers and consequent suspension of the governor and members of the State House of Assembly, involving President Bola 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.

In the motion ex-parte filed on April 8, 2025, the Plaintiff’s legal team, led by C. I. Enweluzo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, 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 till 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.

HURIWA Condemns Pulling Down of Democratic Structures in Rivers State

Human rights group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has lambasted Vice Admiral Ibok Ete-Ibas (rtd) for the way he has allegedly gone about demolishing all democratic structures in the state.
This, it said, included tearing down the official portraits of the democratically elected governor Siminialayi Fubara from public buildings.

HURIWA stated that the attempt by the military administrator to sneak his way into the office of the civilian elected and inaugurated executive head of the government of Rivers state should be resisted by all the good people of Rivers state who voluntarily and willingly donated their democratic mandate to Fubara, who remained the validly elected governor of Rivers.

In a statement by the National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, he said, ”We in HURIWA and about 36 other registred non governmental organisations, reject this unconstitutional overreach and the systematic power grab effort by someone, who proudly told us that he served Nigeria for 40 whole years and was unblemished before he left the military as the nation’s Naval Chief.

“We in HURIWA  and our 36 affiliates, are by this media advisory asking the retired Naval General Ibok Ete-Ibas to preserve his good name and reputation by rejecting his current politically charged assignment that is completely against the spirit, the principle and the essence of the Grund Norm.  We urge him to stop being used to destroy democracy in Rivers state.”