BY BEN OGBEMUDIA
The Presidency on Sunday dismissed criticisms by the African Democratic Congress (ADC) over President Bola Tinubu’s handling of the emergency rule in Rivers State, insisting that the President’s intervention restored peace, stability, and democratic institutions in the state.
In a post on his verified X handle, @SundayDareSD, Presidential spokesperson Chief Sunday Dare described the ADC’s allegations of autocracy, manipulation, and undermining federalism as “laughable” and an exercise in “nuisance politics.”
According to him, the President acted constitutionally under Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), invoking emergency powers to prevent bloodshed and restore governance at a time of grave threat to law and order in Rivers.
Dare stated: “The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is clear: under Section 305, the President has the power — and the duty — to act when law and order are under grave threat. What the President delivered is stability, the return of democratic institutions, and peace in Rivers State. Nigerians can see the difference: President Tinubu acted right. That is what posterity will remember him for.”
He dismissed ADC’s claims of federal manipulation, noting that officials in Rivers State were not turned into presidential appointees but rather protected from chaos until conditions allowed their reinstatement.
“To accuse the President of undermining federalism is laughable. As a former governor, no Nigerian alive has fought harder for state autonomy than Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. What ADC offers Nigerians is late pontification and empty noise. What the President delivered is stability, peace, and order,” Dare said.