Ijaw Youths Drag FG to ECOWAS Court Over Rivers Crisis

Leaders of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Eastern Zone, have taken the Federal Government before the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Court of Justice, challenging what they described as the “illegal suspension” of the Governor of Rivers State.

The case, filed on March 21, was instituted by 12 litigants led by Comrade Ibiso Harry. The group argued that the Federal Government acted outside the law by endorsing the suspension of the governor without following due constitutional process.

The IYC leaders further questioned President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a State of Emergency in Rivers State, insisting that such a move lacked the required two-thirds majority approval stipulated by the Nigerian Constitution.

According to them, the action of the Presidency amounted to a breach of democratic principles and an infringement on the rights of the people of Rivers State to be governed in line with the constitution.

The litigants urged the regional court to intervene and overturn what they described as unconstitutional actions capable of deepening political instability in the state.

Meanwhile, observers have noted that the legal battle could redefine the limits of executive powers in relation to emergency declarations, particularly as it affects sub-national governments.