ECOWAS Court Asked To Sanction Tinubu Over Emergency Rule In Rivers State

A coalition of Nigerian legislative lawyers under the Association of Legislative Drafting and Advocacy Practitioners (ALDRAP) has filed a suit at the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice, seeking sanctions against President Bola Tinubu over his declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State.

The group is also calling for sanctions against key figures in the National Assembly, citing their alleged role in ratifying the emergency rule imposed on the oil-rich state.

President Tinubu, in a nationwide address on March 18, 2025, declared the state of emergency, citing escalating political tensions and accusing Governor Sim Fubara of demolishing the State House of Assembly building. 

The President suspended the governor, his deputy, and all elected members of the state assembly for six months, appointing retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas as the Sole Administrator to oversee the state during the period.

The move has since sparked intense legal and political backlash, with critics questioning the legality, constitutionality, and motive behind the emergency declaration.

In a letter dated April 17, 2025, ALDRAP gave the President seven days to disclose the legal basis of the proclamation, especially provisions allowing the Sole Administrator to appoint local government administrators. Failing that, the group warned of legal action.

Now, in its suit filed with the ECOWAS Court, ALDRAP is asking for sanctions against Tinubu and several high-ranking officials, including:

• The President of the Senate
• Speaker of the House of Representatives
• Chairman of the House Committee on Oversight of Rivers State
• The Attorney General and Minister of Justice
• Heads of government across ECOWAS member states

The legal filing argues that Tinubu’s actions violate Article 1 of the ECOWAS Protocol A/SP1/12/01 on Democracy and Good Governance, which outlines a zero tolerance for unconstitutional changes of government. 

ALDRAP contends that the appointment of a Sole Administrator amounts to a military-style imposition, undermining democratic norms and the sovereignty of the people of Rivers State.

“The imposition of a handpicked military administrator raises serious concerns and, in our view, clearly contravenes ECOWAS democratic standards,” the court document stated.

The group has also written to the Authority of Heads of State and Government—the highest decision-making body in ECOWAS—urging the same punitive measures applied to Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger Republic to be imposed on Nigeria.

In a strongly worded letter dated March 30, 2025, ALDRAP said,

“What is good for Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali should also be good for Nigeria. ECOWAS must act to avoid double standards that could weaken democratic governance across West Africa.”

ALDRAP accused Tinubu of acting in the interest of a political ally—believed to be the former Rivers governor—and warned that failure to act could embolden further democratic backsliding across the region.

“If ECOWAS allows this to stand, it risks becoming what the three countries that exited the bloc have accused it of—an institution of double standards that protects the strong and punishes the weak,” the letter warned.

The ECOWAS Court is yet to assign a date for hearing the suit.