By Luminous Jannamike
ABUJA – The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s handling of the Rivers State political crisis, describing the suspension and subsequent reinstatement of Governor Siminalayi Fubara as a dangerous precedent that could weaken Nigeria’s democracy and encourage federal overreach.
The party warned that the development posed a serious risk to constitutional governance and the balance of power between federal and state authorities.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC expressed concern over the President’s approach to resolving the conflict in Rivers State, saying it raised questions about the proper limits of executive authority.
Abdullahi said the move was more about ‘political strategy’ than genuine efforts to strengthen democracy.
“On Wednesday, 17 September, 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,” Abdullahi said.
The ADC argued that Tinubu’s actions amounted to assuming powers not granted to the presidency under the constitution, thereby undermining the rule of law and the democratic process.
“The President’s decision to arrogate to himself the power to suspend and recall elected officials in Rivers State is whimsically autocratic and should be recognised and condemned as a threat to our democracy,” Abdullahi declared.
The party further alleged that the six-month state of emergency declared in Rivers was politically engineered, rather than a response to genuine danger.
According to Abdullahi, Tinubu failed to act as a neutral arbiter and instead used constitutional provisions to advance the interests of powerful figures within his administration.
“What has happened in Rivers State over the last six months is a brazen manipulation of constitutional provisions to serve narrow political interests.
“The situation that served as the pretext for the declaration of the state of emergency was a clear act of political contrivance that merely required the President’s unbiased intervention. Instead, he deployed the power of the constitution to attack what he ought to have protected,” the party said.
The ADC argued that by sidelining elected officials without judicial process, the President effectively stripped the people of Rivers State of their right to be governed by leaders they freely chose at the ballot box.
“For six long months, the will of the people of Rivers State was set aside. Their elected leaders were, in effect, put on suspension, not by a court of law, but by a President who himself was elected.
“Now, with the wave of a hand and the stroke of his pen, the same President has decided to ‘allow’ other duly elected officials back to work, as though they were his political appointees,” the ADC added.
The party reminded Tinubu of his own history as a state governor who once championed federalism and state autonomy, contrasting it with his present actions, which it said have reduced governors to subordinates of the federal government.
“The President is not a headmaster, and governors are not his pupils to be sent home and recalled at his discretion.
“Yet, with this action, the President and his men have achieved their goals; not to restore peace to Rivers State, but to secure a thoroughly pacified government loyal to Abuja,” Abdullahi stressed.
The statement also dismissed claims by presidential aides that Tinubu cut short his vacation due to worsening insecurity in the country. Instead, it alleged that he returned to personally oversee Fubara’s reinstatement and consolidate his control over Rivers politics.
“By removing a sitting governor and now personally directing his return, the message could not have been clearer: ‘I removed you, and I alone can bring you back.’
“This was not about law, justice, or governance. It was about control—about reinforcing the idea that, in today’s Nigeria, institutions may exist, but they remain subordinate to the will of one man,” the ADC asserted.
The party further highlighted Section 305 of the Constitution, which provides for emergency powers, noting that it was never intended to be used for political purposes.
According to the ADC, this section should only be invoked in cases of natural disasters, epidemics, or serious threats to national security; not as a tool for settling political disputes.
Calling for urgent judicial intervention, the party urged the Supreme Court to take a decisive stance on the Rivers crisis to prevent further erosion of democratic norms.
“The judiciary cannot maintain silent indifference, or history will record them as collaborators in the subversion of our democracy,” the statement warned.
The ADC further stressed that the events in Rivers State should serve as a wake-up call to all Nigerians about the fragility of democratic institutions when subjected to political expediency and unchecked executive power.
The post Fubara: Tinubu playing god in Rivers – ADC appeared first on Vanguard News.
