The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has firmly backed Vice President Kashim Shettima’s recent comments affirming that the President of Nigeria lacks the constitutional authority to remove an elected governor.
The party dismissed the Presidency’s subsequent clarification as “a mere attempt at political correctness.”
In a strongly worded statement released by its Interim National Publicity Secretary and Spokesperson, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC insisted that Shettima’s remarks were not a gaffe, but a bold reminder of the constitutional limits of presidential power.
“This simple truth, which is anchored in the Nigerian Constitution, must not be lost in the fog of political correctness that is currently emanating from Aso Rock,” the statement read.
“Truth does not respect political correctness, because what is wrong is wrong. What made the removal of an elected governor wrong and unconstitutional under President Jonathan in the case of Borno State, is the same that makes it wrong and unconstitutional under President Tinubu in the case of Rivers State.”
The ADC pointed to a precedent from the Goodluck Jonathan administration, when the idea of removing Shettima as governor of Borno State was raised.
Shettima himself recalled how then Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, firmly opposed the move, saying the president lacked the power to remove even a councillor.
That stance was reportedly backed by the then Attorney General, Mohammed Bello Adoke.
“According to Vice President Shettima, Tambuwal’s position was reaffirmed by the Attorney General at the time, Mohammed Bello Adoke, who also told President Jonathan that the President of Nigeria does not have the power under the constitution to remove an elected governor from office.”
ADC contrasted Jonathan’s respect for constitutional limits with what it described as Tinubu’s disregard for legal norms.
“This is not just history. It is a precedent,” the statement continued.
“But unlike Jonathan, who has been widely acclaimed as a respecter of the law, President Tinubu chose to disregard the very laws he swore to uphold and tread the path of unconstitutionality in Rivers State. The suspension of a duly elected governor is not just unconstitutional, it is also authoritarian, and a dangerous precedent if allowed to persist even for a single more day.”
Warning that executive overreach poses a threat to federalism, the party declared:
“Nigeria is not a monarchy. The powers of the President are not absolute. They are bound by law, tempered by precedent, and subject to public accountability.”
In addressing the alleged justification for federal interference in Rivers, the party drew a sharp comparison to the Boko Haram crisis that gripped the Jonathan-era government.
“For avoidance of doubts, the breakdown of law and order that the presidency has deployed as pretext to overthrow democratic order in Rivers State is nothing compared with the rampaging scourge of Boko Haram that abducted more than 200 school girls in Chibok, Borno state, slaughtered school boys in Buni Yadi, Yobe State and challenged the very sovereignty of Nigeria.”
Despite those extreme challenges, ADC noted, Jonathan still respected constitutional limits:
“Yet, in declaring a state of emergency in the affected states under these dire circumstances, President Jonathan recognized the limits of his constitutional powers, and he respected it.”
The party emphasized that Shettima’s statement at the book launch of former Attorney General Mohammed Bello Adoke was not a misstep, but a factual reminder of Nigeria’s legal framework:
“This was the truth that the vice president reminded us of at the book launch of a former Attorney General, Mohammed Bello Adoke on Thursday. It was not faux pas, it was not Freudian slip, it was the truth anchored on the facts of history.”
Consequently, the ADC issued a direct demand to President Tinubu:
“In this regard, the ADC therefore calls on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately restore democratic governance in Rivers State, cease illegal interference in the affairs of the state, and halt the unconstitutional actions that have upended democratic rule in that state.”
The statement concluded with a call for accountability and a public apology:
“We further demand that the President tenders an unreserved apology to the Nigerian people for this abuse of power and the blatant disregard for constitutional order that has played out under his watch.”
“The ADC will continue to stand with the Nigerian people in defence of democracy, justice, and constitutionalism.”
