Lawyer drags Tinubu to court over Rivers LG polls

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is facing a legal battle over the Rivers State local government elections of August 30, 2025.

Constitutional lawyer, Clifford Nnanta Chuku, has filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, seeking to void the elections and nullify the Emergency Powers Regulation issued by the President to guide the exercise.

In suit FHC/PH/CS/173/2025, filed on September 11, Chuku argued that Tinubu exceeded his constitutional powers by suspending parts of the Electoral Act 2022 and Rivers electoral laws, saying the move was illegal and a threat to democracy.

Listed as defendants are: the President, the Federal Government, the Attorney-General of the Federation, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC).

Chuku is asking the court to declare the regulation unconstitutional, void the August 30 polls, and order RSIEC to conduct fresh elections in full compliance with the law.

The matter has been fixed for hearing on October 21, 2025.

Observers say the case could redefine the extent of presidential powers in electoral matters.