…Federal High Court Grants Substituted Service, Sets Hearing for May 12
By Daniel Abia – Port Harcourt
A former member of the House of Representatives and 2023 governorship aspirant, Dr. Farah Dagogo, has taken legal action against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas, and the Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (Rtd), over the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State.
The Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has fixed May 12, 2025, for substantive hearing of the case, which challenges the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the members of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
In Suit No: FHC/PH/CS/50/2025, presided over by Justice Adamu Turaki Mohammed, Dagogo is seeking judicial intervention on what he claims are unconstitutional actions relating to the declaration of emergency rule in the state and the imposition of an unelected administrator.
Due to difficulties in personally serving the defendants, the court granted an application for substituted service during proceedings held on April 9, 2025. The plaintiff’s legal team, led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), C.I. Enweluzo, filed the motion ex parte on April 8, 2025.
Supporting the motion was an affidavit deposed by Solomon Ayotamuno, a litigation assistant at Liberty Chambers. Other members of the legal team included Femi Adegbite Esq., Monday Dayi Esq., Daso Jack, and D. Bakweri Esq.
Justice Mohammed, after hearing the application, granted the request for substituted service and directed that hearing notices and court documents be served to the defendants via DHL courier to their last known addresses. These addresses include:
President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Asokoro, Abuja
Senate President and the Senate of the Federal Republic, National Assembly Complex, Three Arms Zone, Abuja
Speaker of the House of Representatives, National Assembly Complex, Three Arms Zone, Abuja
Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (Rtd), Rivers State Government House, Old GRA, Port Harcourt
President Tinubu had, on March 18, 2025, declared a State of Emergency in Rivers State, suspending democratic governance for an initial six-month period. He subsequently appointed Vice Admiral Ibas as Sole Administrator—a move ratified by the National Assembly amid widespread public and political controversy.
Dagogo is challenging both the legality of the emergency proclamation and the constitutionality of suspending elected officials, asserting that such actions undermine democratic principles and the rule of law.
The matter is now scheduled for a substantive hearing on May 12, 2025.
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