The Vice President Kashim Shettima’s remark regarding presidential powers was clarified by the Presidency, but the African Democratic Congress rejected it, calling it “just an attempt at political correctness.”
The party said in a statement on Friday that President Bola Tinubu had gone beyond the bounds of the constitution and was threatening democracy in the state of Rivers.
Instead of being softened by spin from the Villa, Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC’s Interim National Publicity Secretary and Spokesperson, maintained that Shettima’s assertion on the President’s authority limitations was constitutionally sound.
It is imperative that the truth not be obscured by political correctness. According to Abdullahi, the vice president must not back down from his brave and direct declaration that the president is not constitutionally authorized to remove an elected council member, much less a ruling governor.
He went on to say that the Presidency’s answer missed the mark and prioritized political appeasement over upholding the constitution.
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The ADC said that the suspension of the governor of Rivers State was unconstitutional and that it constituted a serious threat to Nigerian democracy.
“This straightforward fact, which is rooted in the Nigerian Constitution, must not be lost in the fog of political correctness that is currently emanating from Aso Rock,” the party added.
“The same factors that made President Jonathan’s removal of an elected governor in Borno State unlawful and unconstitutional also render President Tinubu’s removal of an elected governor in Rivers State unlawful and unconstitutional.”
Despite dealing with Boko Haram attacks, former President Goodluck Jonathan followed constitutional limitations, the party pointed out, in contrast to Tinubu.
The Attorney General, Mohammed Bello Adoke, and the then-Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, adamantly maintained the rule that a president could not dismiss a governor by himself, the ADC recalled, citing Shettima’s own experience as Governor of Borno State in 2014.
“History is not all of this. There is precedent,” the party emphasized.
The ADC called on President Tinubu to stop violating the constitution and to bring democracy back to Rivers State.
