In a statement issued on Friday by its Interim National Publicity Secretary/Spokesperson, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) conveyed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu that if the removal of a governor was deemed wrong and unconstitutional during the tenure of former President Goodluck Jonathan, it remains equally wrong today. The party called for an immediate cessation of the federal government’s unlawful takeover of the Rivers state government.
Furthermore, the party asserted that Vice President Kashim Shettima’s assertion that the President lacks the authority to remove an elected governor is accurate. They dismissed the Presidency’s clarification regarding the Vice President’s comments, labeling it as “a mere attempt at political correctness.” The party underscored the importance of not allowing the truth to be obscured by political correctness, stressing that the Vice President should uphold his candid and brave statement, which confirms that the President possesses no constitutional authority to remove an elected councilor, let alone a sitting Governor.
Criticizing President Tinubu for his actions in Rivers State, the party noted that, in contrast to Jonathan, who is widely recognized as a proponent of the law, President Tinubu has opted to ignore the very laws he pledged to uphold, thereby engaging in unconstitutional behavior in Rivers State.
ADC stated: “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. 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 only thing that has changed is that while one president held the constitution as sacrosanct and inviolable, another feels it could be manipulated to suit narrow political interests.
“In recounting his own ordeal under the Jonathan administration, the Vice President reminded Nigerians that when the idea of removing him as Borno State Governor was floated, the then Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, stood his ground and told the President that he had no power to remove even an elected councilor.”
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.
“This is not just history. It is precedent. 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. The ongoing executive overreach, fueled by narrow political interests indeed, poses a grave threat to Nigeria’s democracy and federalism. Nigeria is not a monarchy. The powers of the President are not absolute. They are bounded by law, tempered by precedent, and subject to public accountability.
“For avoidance of doubts, the breakdown of law and order that the presidency has deployed as a pretext to overthrow democratic order in Rivers State is nothing compared with the rampaging scourge of Boko Haram that abducted more than 200 schoolgirlsin Chibok, Borno state, slaughtered schoolboysin Buni Yadi, Yobe State, and challenged the very sovereignty of Nigeria.
“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 them. This was the truth that the vice president reminded us of at the book launch of former Attorney General, Mohammed Bello Adoke on Thursday. It was not a faux pas, it was not a Freudian slip, it was the truth anchored on the facts of history.”
In this regard, the ADC therefore called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately restore democratic governance in Rivers State, cease all illegal interference in the affairs of the state, and halt the unconstitutional actions that have upended democratic rule in that state.
“We further demand that the President tender 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 defense of democracy, justice, and constitutionalism,” the party said.
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