The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has cautioned President Bola Tinubu against overstepping his constitutional limits by interfering in the affairs of state governments.
In a statement issued on Thursday, September 18, by its National Publicity Secretary, Bola Abdullahi, the party stressed that the Nigerian Constitution does not grant the president powers to suspend or reinstate elected governors, describing such actions as an attack on democratic principles.
This follows the return of Siminalayi Fubara as Rivers State governor, alongside the state’s lawmakers, after Tinubu lifted the six-month emergency rule imposed on the state.
The emergency had been declared on March 18, 2025, during the political crisis between Fubara and Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike.
ADC accused the president of “masking politics as leadership,” arguing that his handling of Rivers State will shape his legacy.
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The statement read, “On Wednesday, September 17, Nigerians witnessed a curious spectacle: President Tinubu directing the Governor, Deputy Governor, and members of the State Assembly in Rivers State to resume duties after serving his six-month suspension from office.
“The President’s decision to arrogate to himself the power to suspend and recall elected officials in Rivers State, as he had done, is whimsically autocratic and should be recognised and condemned as a threat to our democracy.”
The party added, “Governors and legislators in a democracy do not draw their legitimacy from Aso Rock. They derive it from the people who elected them.
“Only a competent court can remove or restrain them — not a press statement or presidential proclamation. The President is not a Headmaster, and Governors are not his pupils to be sent home and recalled at his discretion.”
Calling the move a dangerous precedent, ADC urged the Supreme Court to step in, warning that Section 305 of the Constitution on emergency powers should never be used for “political convenience.”