The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has faulted President Bola Tinubu over his suspension and reinstatement of Rivers State governor, Siminalayi Fubara, describing the move as “autocratic” and a threat to democracy.
Gatekeepers News reports that on Wednesday, Tinubu lifted the emergency rule imposed on Rivers and directed Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and members of the state house of assembly to resume duties on September 18. The emergency rule had been declared in March following a prolonged political crisis between Fubara and Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT) and former governor of the state.
In a statement on Thursday, Bolaji Abdullahi, ADC spokesperson, accused the president of overstepping his constitutional bounds.
“The president’s decision to arrogate to himself the power to suspend and recall elected officials is whimsically autocratic and must be recognised as a threat to democracy,” he said.
Abdullahi described the action as “political brinkmanship disguised as statesmanship,” arguing that it amounted to manipulating constitutional provisions for narrow political ends.
“For six months, the will of Rivers people was set aside, their elected leaders suspended, not by a court of law, but by the president who himself was elected. Now, with the wave of a hand, the same president has decided to allow duly elected officials back to work, as though they were his appointees.”
The ADC spokesman said Tinubu’s move suggested that governors and lawmakers derived their legitimacy from the president rather than from the electorate.
“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 or governance. It was about control,” he added.
The ADC urged the Supreme Court to take a firm stance, warning that the precedent could erode Nigeria’s democratic order.
