The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has taken a swipe at President Bola Tinubu over what it described as the “whimsical and autocratic” suspension and subsequent reinstatement of Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara.
Speaking on Wednesday, the party’s spokesman, Bolaji Abdullahi, said Tinubu acted outside the bounds of the Constitution by meddling in the tenure of an elected state governor.
“The only governor President Tinubu has the power to hire or fire is Yemi Cardoso. He does not have that power over a state governor,” Abdullahi said, in reference to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor.
He accused Tinubu of disguising “political brinkmanship as statesmanship,” stressing that the Rivers debacle has further exposed the President’s disregard for constitutional democracy.
“The cavalier manner in which President Tinubu suspended and reinstated an elected governor is whimsically autocratic. The suspension of Governor Fubara was self-serving, unconstitutional, and it will define President Tinubu’s political legacy,” Abdullahi added.
President Tinubu on Wednesday announced the end of the state of emergency in Rivers State, effective midnight on September 17, 2025.
The emergency rule was declared on March 18, 2025, following a constitutional impasse between the Governor and the House of Assembly, which had brought governance to a standstill.
In a statement, President Tinubu said, “I am happy today that, from the intelligence available to me, there is a groundswell of a new spirit of understanding, a robust readiness, and potent enthusiasm on the part of all the stakeholders in Rivers State for an immediate return to democratic governance.”
