The Presidency has defended President Bola Tinubu’s decision to declare a state of emergency in Rivers State, stressing that the move was backed by the Nigerian Constitution.
This comes after the African Democratic Congress (ADC) accused the President of displaying authoritarian tendencies in handling the political unrest rocking Rivers State.
In a statement on Thursday, Sunday Dare, Special Adviser on Media and Communication to the President, said Tinubu only acted in line with Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which empowers the President to act when law and order face serious threats.
Dare dismissed ADC’s criticisms as baseless, noting that the emergency declaration was necessary to prevent bloodshed and restore governance in the oil-rich state.
“ADC’s claims of autocracy and manipulation collapse under simple facts. The emergency framework is constitutional, not arbitrary,” Dare said.
He explained that officials in Rivers State were not stripped of their roles but were instead protected from the chaos until normalcy was restored.
“To accuse the President of undermining federalism is laughable. As a former governor, no Nigerian has fought harder for state autonomy than Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. Protecting Rivers is protecting Nigeria,” Dare added.
According to the Presidency, what the President delivered in Rivers was stability, the return of democratic institutions, and peace, while ADC is only offering “late pontification and empty noise.”
Dare concluded that Nigerians will ultimately judge Tinubu not by political rhetoric but by the peace and order restored in Rivers State.
