The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has strongly criticised the Supreme Court’s decision affirming the President’s authority to suspend elected governors and state assemblies during a state of emergency, calling it a dangerous turning point for Nigeria’s democracy.
In a statement on Tuesday, ADC National Publicity Secretary Bolaji Abdullahi warned that the ruling threatens constitutional governance, federalism, and the will of the people.
The ADC said the judgment gives the President too much power, posing a serious risk to Nigeria’s democratic system.
“The African Democratic Congress is alarmed by the judgment of the Supreme Court, which grants the President the power to suspend elected governors and state assemblies during a state of emergency.
“While the ruling may seem academic, it represents a critical inflexion point in our democracy that could permanently alter its nature,” the party said.
The ADC argued that the ruling allows the President to decide how to restore peace and security in any state, effectively permitting the suspension of governors and assemblies for political reasons.
Although the court stated that no branch or level of government is constitutionally superior, the ADC believes the ruling gives the presidency too much control over state governments.
The party also criticised the safeguards mentioned by the Supreme Court, such as proportionality, legislative oversight, and judicial review, saying they do not work well in practice.
According to the ADC, when the legislature supports the presidency, oversight becomes impossible, and the court’s focus on legal technicalities over democratic values weakens judicial review.
“The Supreme Court has inadvertently facilitated a form of constitutional tyranny, enabling those in power to exploit legal frameworks and constitutional loopholes to entrench absolute authority,” the statement said.
The ADC warned that this kind of tyranny often develops slowly as leaders weaken democratic norms and institutions, a trend it says has been clear over the last two years.
The party concluded that neither the legislature nor the judiciary can currently be trusted to stop this decline.
The ruling, delivered on Monday, came from a case filed in April by governors elected under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). They challenged President Bola Tinubu’s suspension of Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy Professor Ngozi Odu, and members of the state assembly during a political crisis.
After the suspension, the President appointed retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas as Sole Administrator of Rivers State for six months, placing the state under federal control.
Although the emergency rule ended on September 23 and the suspended officials have since returned to office, the Supreme Court upheld the President’s constitutional power to declare a state of emergency and suspend elected officials during such times.
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