Advocacy Group Sues Tinubu, AGF, and NASS Over Alleged Illegal Appointments to Rivers Electoral Body
An Abuja-based civil rights organization, Center for Reform and Public Advocacy, has taken legal action against President Bola Tinubu, Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, and the National Assembly, challenging their constitutional authority to appoint members of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC).
The suit, filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja and marked FHC/ABJ/CR/1196/2025, seeks to nullify the appointments recently made by the President and approved by the Senate. The group contends that only the Governor of Rivers State has the constitutional right to appoint RSIEC officials, citing several provisions of the 1999 Constitution.
Through its counsel, Mr. Kalu Kalu Agu, the group is urging the court to interpret Sections 11(4), 197, 198, 199, and 201 of the Constitution to confirm that the President and National Assembly lack jurisdiction over state-level electoral appointments.
The group asked the court to declare the actions of the President and Senate unconstitutional, null, and void, arguing that the National Assembly’s approval of the RSIEC nominees violates the federal structure enshrined in the Constitution. The lawsuit also includes a request for a perpetual injunction restraining the President, AGF, and NASS from any further involvement in RSIEC matters.
According to a 30-paragraph affidavit sworn by one Emmanuella Alisi, the advocacy body claims that the President, acting on the AGF’s advice, declared a state of emergency in Rivers State on March 18, 2025, which led to the removal of the democratically elected governor. Following this, Tinubu reportedly sent a list of nominees to the Senate for confirmation as RSIEC members.
However, the group claims that Rivers State already has a lawfully constituted RSIEC—appointed by the governor—which is actively performing its duties, including organizing local government elections held on October 5, 2024. It argues that the existing commission’s tenure is still valid and that the President’s intervention was unwarranted and unconstitutional.
The group also revealed that it had written to both the AGF and the Senate President, urging them to halt the nomination process. It accuses the federal government of attempting to usurp state powers in violation of the Constitution.
In addition to the President, AGF, and the National Assembly, other defendants listed in the suit include the Governor of Rivers State, RSIEC, and its chairman, Justice Adolphus Enebeli.
No date has been set yet for the hearing of the case.
