Presidency Dismisses ADC’s Criticism on Rivers Emergency Rule

The Presidency has described the African Democratic Congress (ADC)’s criticism of the emergency declaration in Rivers State as “nuisance politics,” insisting that President Bola Tinubu acted within the law to restore order.

Special Adviser on Media and Communication to the President, Sunday Dare, said Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) empowers the President to act when public order and safety are under threat.

Reacting to ADC’s accusations of autocracy and manipulation, Dare stressed that the action was constitutional, not arbitrary.

“ADC’s claims collapse under simple fact. The emergency framework is constitutional, not whimsical. Rivers officials were never reduced to appointees; they were shielded from chaos and reinstated once peace returned,” Dare said.

He added that Tinubu, a former governor known for his advocacy of state autonomy, acted to protect Nigeria’s stability.

“What ADC offers Nigerians is late pontification and empty noise. 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,” Dare maintained.