The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has strongly criticized the Presidency’s response to recent comments made by Vice President Kashim Shettima, calling the rebuttal “political correctness” and defending Shettima’s statement as grounded in the Nigerian Constitution.

Speaking through its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC backed the Vice President’s remark that a President has no constitutional power to remove an elected councilor, let alone a sitting governor.

“The truth must not be lost in the fog of political correctness,” Abdullahi said. “The Vice President must stand by his bold and constitutionally accurate statement.”

The ADC’s criticism comes amid rising political tension in Rivers State, where controversies surrounding the suspension of the State Governor have sparked national outrage. The party insisted that such a move, allegedly influenced by the Presidency, has no legal backing and poses a serious threat to Nigeria’s democracy.

“What made the removal of a governor wrong under President Jonathan is the same thing that makes it wrong under President Tinubu,” the statement emphasized.

The ADC also drew a comparison to former President Goodluck Jonathan, who, despite battling a serious national security crisis in 2014, still upheld the Constitution and did not attempt to remove elected governors, even under emergency rule.

“President Jonathan respected constitutional boundaries when he declared a state of emergency,” the ADC pointed out, referencing the Boko Haram crisis in Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa States.

To strengthen its argument, the party recalled the 2014 case involving then-Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima himself. According to the ADC, despite the crisis, both the then-Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, and Attorney General Mohammed Bello Adoke stood firm on the constitutional principle that the President could not remove a sitting governor.

“This isn’t just history—it’s precedent,” Abdullahi declared.

The ADC called on President Bola Tinubu to “restore democratic order” in Rivers State and halt all actions that go against the Constitution, reminding him that Nigeria’s democracy cannot be sustained if constitutional boundaries are ignored.

As the political dust continues to rise, the ADC’s bold stance is a clear warning to Aso Rock: democracy must be protected, not manipulated.