Tinubu Ends Rivers Emergency Rule, ADC Reacts with Reservations

Onyenobi Chinwendu Samuel

September 20, 2025

Rivers State 🇳🇬 – The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has expressed strong reservations over President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s decision to lift the six-month emergency rule in Rivers State, describing the move as a breach of democratic principles and state autonomy.

In a statement released on Thursday 18th September, 2025 by its National Publicity Secretary, Bola Abdullahi, the ADC said Tinubu’s actions in Rivers State amounted to an overreach of presidential powers under the guise of leadership.

President Tinubu, in a national broadcast on Wednesday, formally announced the end of the emergency rule imposed on Rivers since March 18, 2025. He declared that Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu, Speaker Martins Amaewhule, and members of the State House of Assembly would all return to their offices effective September 18, 2025.

“It gives me great pleasure to declare that the emergency in Rivers State of Nigeria shall end with effect from midnight today,” Tinubu stated.

Reacting, the ADC said the termination announcement exposed a deeper constitutional problem, questioning the legality of suspending and reinstating elected officials by presidential directive.

“On Wednesday, September 17, Nigerians witnessed a curious spectacle: President Tinubu directing the Governor, Deputy Governor, and members of the State Assembly in Rivers State to resume duties after serving his six-month suspension from office,” the statement read.

“The President’s decision to arrogate to himself the power to suspend and recall elected officials in Rivers State, as he had done, is whimsically autocratic and should be recognised and condemned as a threat to our democracy.”

The party further argued that the move was more political than democratic, warning that such interventions weaken the federal system and erode the sovereignty of the people.

“This is politics masquerading as leadership, and it will define President Tinubu’s legacy. Such actions undermine state autonomy and the rule of law,” Abdullahi stressed.

Meanwhile, the Presidency has defended the intervention, insisting that Tinubu acted within Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution to prevent instability in Rivers. Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, said the President’s actions restored peace, preserved democracy, and safeguarded governance in the state.

The contrasting positions have ignited further national debate ; with the ADC portraying the intervention as a constitutional overreach, and the Presidency describing it as a necessary stabilising measure.