The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has taken a swipe at President Bola Tinubu over his handling of the Rivers State political crisis, warning that Nigeria’s Constitution does not grant the president powers to suspend or reinstate elected governors.
Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and members of the Rivers State House of Assembly returned to their offices this week after President Tinubu formally announced the end of a six-month state of emergency imposed on the state in March 2025. In a national broadcast, the president declared that the emergency rule, which had disrupted governance in the state, would expire at midnight on September 17, allowing all elected officials to resume work.
But the ADC strongly criticised the move, calling it an abuse of constitutional authority and a direct assault on Nigeria’s democratic values. In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the party argued that governors and lawmakers derive their mandate from the people, not from Aso Rock, and cannot be treated as presidential appointees.
The party likened Tinubu’s action to that of a “headmaster sending pupils home and recalling them at will,” warning that such conduct undermines state autonomy. The ADC also accused the president of prioritising political control over genuine leadership, noting that he returned from vacation not to address worsening insecurity across the country but to personally oversee Fubara’s reinstatement.
“For six months, the people of Rivers State were denied the leadership they freely elected, not by a court of law, but by presidential decree,” the ADC said, describing the entire process as a calculated attempt to weaken state independence. According to the party, the Rivers case has now been turned into a lesson for other governors — a reminder that their tenure may depend more on Abuja’s approval than on the will of their people.
The ADC further cautioned that Tinubu’s actions set a dangerous precedent, warning that Section 305 of the Constitution, which provides for emergency powers, was never designed for political convenience but for genuine crises such as natural disasters, epidemics, or violent unrest.
Calling on the judiciary, especially the Supreme Court, to intervene, the party said Nigeria’s democratic institutions risk becoming subservient to the will of one man if unchecked. “History will not forgive silence,” the ADC declared, urging the courts to defend the rule of law and safeguard the future of Nigeria’s democracy.