The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has condemned the Presidency’s clarification on Vice President Kashim Shettima’s recent comments regarding the President’s constitutional powers, describing it as ‘a mere attempt at political correctness’.
In a statement issued on Friday by the party’s Interim National Publicity Secretary and Spokesperson, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, ADC criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, accusing him of ignoring constitutional boundaries and weakening democratic governance in Rivers State.
The party defended the Vice President’s comments, insisting they were constitutionally accurate.
Abdullahi stated, “The truth must not be lost in the fog of political correctness. The Vice President needs to stand by his forthright and courageous statement, which affirms that the President has no constitutional power to remove an elected councilor, not to talk of a sitting Governor.”
The ADC argued that the suspension of the Rivers State Governor lacked constitutional backing and posed a serious threat to Nigeria’s democratic foundation.
“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 statement read.
The party drew comparisons between President Tinubu and former President Goodluck Jonathan, stating that while Jonathan faced a national security crisis, he still respected constitutional boundaries.
“In declaring a state of emergency in the affected states under these dire circumstances, President Jonathan recognised the limits of his constitutional powers and he respected it,” the ADC stated.
Referring to Shettima’s own 2014 experience, the ADC pointed out that the then-Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, and the Attorney General, Mohammed Bello Adoke, upheld the constitutional principle that the President had no authority to remove an elected governor.
“This is not just history. It is precedent,” the party declared. The ADC urged President Tinubu to restore democratic rule in Rivers State and stop all actions that contradict constitutional provisions.
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