The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has dismissed the Presidency’s clarification on Vice President Kashim Shettima’s remarks that the President does not have the power to remove an elected governor, describing it as “a mere attempt at political correctness.”
In a statement issued in Abuja and signed by the party’s Interim National Publicity Secretary and Spokesperson, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party emphasized that the truth must not be lost in the fog of political correctness. It stated that the Vice President should stand by his forthright and courageous statement affirming that the President has no constitutional power to remove an elected councilor, let alone a sitting governor.
The ADC’s statement followed a clarification by the Vice President’s media aide, Stanley Nkwocha, who claimed that his boss’s comments—made during the public presentation of the book “OPL 245: The Inside Story of the $1.3 Billion Oil Block”, authored by former Attorney General Mohammed Bello Adoke and held at the Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja—were “deliberate misrepresentations aimed at creating discord within the administration.”
However, the ADC spokesperson maintained that the Vice President’s remarks resonated with Nigerians because he spoke the truth.
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The statement read: “This simple truth, anchored in the Nigerian Constitution, must not be lost in the fog of political correctness currently emanating from Aso Rock.
“Truth does not bow to 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 only difference is that while one President upheld the Constitution as sacrosanct and inviolable, another appears to believe it can be manipulated to serve narrow political interests.
“In recounting his ordeal under the Jonathan administration, the Vice President reminded Nigerians that when the idea of removing him as Borno State Governor was raised, the then Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Aminu Tambuwal stood firm and told the President that he had no power to remove even an elected councilor.
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According to Vice President Shettima, Tambuwal’s position was reaffirmed by then Attorney General Mohammed Bello Adoke, who also told President Jonathan that the President lacked the constitutional authority to remove an elected governor.
“This is not just history—it is precedent. But unlike Jonathan, who has been widely acknowledged as a respecter of the law, President Tinubu chose to disregard the very laws he swore to uphold and tread the path of unconstitutionality in Rivers State.
The suspension of a duly elected governor is not only unconstitutional but also authoritarian, and it sets a dangerous precedent if allowed to persist even for a single day.
The ongoing executive overreach—fueled by narrow political interests—poses a grave threat to Nigeria’s democracy and federalism. Nigeria is not a monarchy. The powers of the President are not absolute; they are bounded by law, tempered by precedent, and subject to public accountability.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the breakdown of law and order, which the Presidency has used as a pretext to overthrow democratic governance in Rivers State, is nothing compared to the rampaging scourge of Boko Haram—which abducted over 200 schoolgirls in Chibok, Borno State, slaughtered schoolboys in Buni Yadi, Yobe State, and challenged Nigeria’s sovereignty. Yet, even under these dire circumstances, President Jonathan, in declaring a state of emergency in the affected states, recognized and respected the limits of his constitutional powers. This was the truth Vice President Shettima reminded us of at the book launch of former Attorney General Mohammed Bello Adoke on Thursday. It was not a faux pas or a Freudian slip—it was the truth, anchored in historical fact.
“In this regard, the ADC calls on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately restore democratic governance in Rivers State, cease all illegal interference in the state’s affairs, and halt the unconstitutional actions that have disrupted democratic rule. We further demand that the President issue an unreserved apology to the Nigerian people for this abuse of power and the blatant disregard for constitutional order under his watch.
“The ADC will continue to stand with the Nigerian people in defense of democracy, justice, and constitutionalism.”
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