ADC warns Tinubu on Rivers crisis, saying his role in suspending and reinstating Fubara violates constitutional democracy and sets a dangerous precedent.
ADC warns Tinubu on Rivers crisis and the recent reinstatement of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, describing President Bola Tinubu’s involvement in the six-month suspension and recall of elected officials in Rivers State as a direct affront to constitutional democracy.
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In a strongly worded statement on Thursday, the African Democratic Congress (ADC), through its National Publicity Secretary, Bola Abdullahi, criticised the President’s announcement ending emergency rule in Rivers State and ordering the return of Fubara, Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu, and House Speaker Martins Amaewhule to office.
The party described the move as “whimsically autocratic”, warning that it violates the Nigerian Constitution and undermines federal principles.
“Governors and legislators in a democracy do not draw their legitimacy from Aso Rock,” the party said.
“They derive it from the people who elected them. Only a competent court can remove or restrain them — not a presidential proclamation.”
The ADC warns Tinubu on Rivers crisis by stating that the events of the last six months represent a dangerous precedent in Nigeria’s political history.
According to the party, the suspension of Fubara and the House of Assembly was a clear abuse of emergency powers outlined in Section 305 of the Constitution.
“Emergency powers are meant for real crises — floods, epidemics, or insurrections — not political convenience,” the statement read. “What played out in Rivers was not governance; it was control.”
President Tinubu had declared the end of emergency measures in Rivers on Wednesday, stating that the elected officials could resume duties from September 18, 2025.
The move followed months of political tension between Fubara and factions within the state’s ruling structure, widely believed to have federal backing.
Reacting, the ADC accused Tinubu of using state power to settle political scores, arguing that the Rivers scenario had more to do with pacification than peace-building.
“Now, with the ink from his pen, the same President has decided to ‘allow’ elected officials back to work, as though they were his appointees.
This is governance by decree, not democracy,” it noted.
The party further urged the judiciary, particularly the Supreme Court, to intervene decisively, arguing that silence at this stage would make the courts complicit in the erosion of democratic norms.
“If this is allowed to stand,” ADC warned, “the message to governors across Nigeria is clear: step out of line, and Aso Rock will send you packing.”
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The ADC warns Tinubu on Rivers crisis with a final caution: “The President is not a Headmaster, and Governors are not his pupils.”
