*Describes opposition’s claims as laughable, nuisance politics
The Presidency yesterday faulted criticisms of President Bola Tinubu’s handling of the Rivers State emergency rule by the African Democratic Congress (ADC), insisting that the president’s intervention restored stability, democratic institutions, and peace in the state.
In a post on his verified X handle, @SundayDareSD, presidential spokesperson, Mr. Sunday Dare, described the ADC’s allegations of autocracy, manipulation, and undermining federalism as “laughable” and an exercise in “nuisance politics.”
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According to the presidential aide, the president acted constitutionally under Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), invoking emergency powers to prevent bloodshed and restore governance at a time of grave threat to law and order in Rivers State.
Dare stated: “The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is clear: under Section 305, the President has the power — and the duty — to act when law and order are under grave threat.
“What the president delivered is stability, the return of democratic institutions, and peace in Rivers State. Nigerians can see the difference: President Tinubu acted right. That is what posterity will remember him for”.
He dismissed ADC’s claims of federal manipulation, noting that officials in Rivers State were not reduced to presidential appointees but rather protected from chaos until conditions allowed for their reinstatement.
“To accuse the president of undermining federalism is laughable; as a former governor, no Nigerian alive presently has fought harder for state autonomy than Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
“What ADC offers Nigerians is late pontification and empty noise. What the president delivered is stability, peace, and order”, Dare said.
The presidential media aide maintained that President Tinubu’s decision was neither whimsical nor partisan, but a constitutional necessity to protect the state and, by extension, the federation.
Reacting to Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s return to his role as Governor of Rivers State following the lifting of the six-month emergency rule earlier imposed on the state by Tinubu, the ADC had on Thursday cautioned the president against interfering in the affairs of state governments, declaring that the Nigerian Constitution does not empower the president to hire or fire elected governors.
In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Bola Abdullahi, ADC emphasised that such actions undermine democratic principles and the autonomy of states.
ADC accused Tinubu of masking politics as leadership, saying his actions in Rivers will define his legacy.
It stated, “On Wednesday, September 17, 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.
“The President’s decision to arrogate to himself the power to suspend and recall elected officials in Rivers State, as he had done, is whimsically autocratic and should be recognised and condemned as a threat to our democracy.
The African Democratic Congress reiterates that what has happened in Rivers State over the last six months is a brazen manipulation of constitutional provisions to serve narrow political interests,” the statement explained.
