The African Democratic Congress has rejected the Presidency’s recent clarification on Vice President, Kashim Shettima’s comment about presidential powers, describing it as “a mere attempt at political correctness.”
In a statement released on Friday, the party accused President Bola Tinubu of overstepping constitutional boundaries and undermining democracy in the state of Rivers.
The ADC’s Interim National Publicity Secretary and Spokesperson, Bolaji Abdullahi, insisted that Shettima’s statement on the limits of the President’s powers was constitutionally sound and should be defended rather than watered down by spin from the Villa.
“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 councillor, not to talk of a sitting governor,” Abdullahi said.
He added that the Presidency’s response missed the point and instead chose political appeasement over constitutional integrity.
The ADC expressed concern over what it described as the unconstitutional suspension of the Rivers State Governor, warning that such a move posed a grave threat to Nigeria’s democracy.
The party further 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.
“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 party noted that, unlike Tinubu, former President Goodluck Jonathan, despite grappling with Boko Haram attacks, respected constitutional boundaries.
Referencing Shettima’s own experience as Governor of Borno State in 2014, the ADC recalled how the then-Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, and the Attorney General, Mohammed Bello Adoke, firmly upheld the principle that a President could not unilaterally remove a governor.
“This is not just history. It is precedent,” the party stressed.
The ADC urged President Tinubu to restore democratic order in Rivers State and refrain from actions that violate constitutional provisions.
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