The Presidency has responded to the African Democratic Congress (ADC)’s criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s emergency intervention in Rivers State, insisting that the President acted strictly within the bounds of the 1999 Constitution to preserve law and order.
The ADC had earlier condemned the six-month emergency rule imposed by Tinubu in March 2025, labeling the move as autocratic and a threat to democratic governance.
However, in a statement issued on Friday, Sunday Dare, Special Adviser on Media and Communication to the President, dismissed the party’s stance as “late pontification and empty noise.”
According to Dare, the President’s actions were backed by Section 305 of the Constitution, which permits the declaration of a state of emergency in situations that threaten public peace or constitutional order.
“The emergency framework is constitutional, not whimsical,” Dare stated.
“Officials in Rivers State were not removed from office but protected from chaos. Once normalcy returned, they were promptly reinstated.”
The Presidency emphasized that the emergency rule was not politically motivated but rather a necessary measure to stabilize Rivers State during a period of intense political tension.
“President Tinubu acted in defence of democracy. What the ADC offers Nigerians is nuisance politics. What the President delivered is peace, stability, and the restoration of democratic institutions,” Dare added.
He further argued that President Tinubu, as a former governor and proponent of federalism, has a proven record of fighting for state autonomy, making accusations of undermining democracy “laughable.”
In its statement, the ADC maintained that elected officials derive their legitimacy from the people, not the Presidency, and that only a court of law has the authority to suspend or remove such officials.
“Governors and legislators in a democracy do not draw their legitimacy from Aso Rock,” the party said. “Only a competent court can remove or restrain them—not a presidential proclamation.”
The ADC also called on the Supreme Court to provide clarity on the limits of presidential emergency powers, warning that Tinubu’s actions could set a dangerous precedent.
President Tinubu had on March 18, 2025, declared a six-month emergency rule in Rivers State amid escalating political unrest between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his predecessor and political rival, Nyesom Wike.
On September 18, the President officially lifted the emergency rule and ordered the reinstatement of Governor Fubara, Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu and members of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
The Presidency maintains that the intervention was necessary to avoid a total breakdown of governance and to protect democratic order in the state.
