A former Deputy Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Marshall Stanley-Uwom, has taken legal action against President Bola Tinubu. He filed a case at the Federal High Court in Abuja, asking the court to stop the federal government from sending money meant for local governments in Rivers State to the state’s Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (Rtd).

Stanley-Uwom argued that it’s against the Constitution to have unelected caretaker committees running local governments. He pointed to Section 7(1) of the 1999 Constitution and a recent Supreme Court ruling that supports his position.

He also wants the court to declare that any state of emergency declared by the president in Rivers State is no longer valid, especially since the National Assembly didn’t approve it with a proper two-thirds vote, as required by law.

The lawsuit names President Tinubu as the first defendant. Other defendants include top government institutions and officials like the National Assembly, Senate President, House Speaker, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Accountant General of the Federation, and the Federation Account Allocation Committee.

Through his lawyer, Mr. Sylvester I. Evbuomwan, Stanley-Uwom raised several questions for the court to answer. One major question is whether funds from the Federation Account can be given to caretaker officials who were not elected by the people.

In a written statement, Stanley-Uwom said he is an important political figure in Rivers State, having served in various roles including Deputy Speaker from 2015 to 2019. He claimed the state of emergency was not properly approved and that Ibas, since taking over in March 2025, sacked all elected local government leaders and replaced them with his own appointees.

He also said the Sole Administrator removed the chairman and members of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) without following due process.

Stanley-Uwom added that government money is still being sent to Ibas and the unelected caretaker teams, even though the National Assembly hasn’t approved it. He said this goes against the Constitution and a Supreme Court ruling which supports local government independence.

He believes the court should grant his requests to protect the rule of law. As of now, no court date has been announced for the hearing.