The Presidency has defended President Bola Tinubu’s decision to declare a state of emergency in Rivers State, insisting that the move safeguarded democratic institutions rather than weakening Nigeria’s federal structure.
Presidential adviser on media and public communication, Chief Sunday Dare, said on Sunday that contrary to allegations by the African Democratic Congress (ADC), the president’s intervention was rooted in the constitution and designed to prevent a breakdown of law and order.
Tinubu’s media aid, Dare described the ADC’s accusations of autocracy and erosion of federalism as unfounded. He maintained that the emergency rule was guided by Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which empowers the president to act when security and governance are threatened.
“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 stated.
“To accuse the president of undermining federalism is laughable. As a former governor, no Nigerian alive presently has fought harder for state autonomy than Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. What ADC offers Nigerians is late pontification and empty noise. What the President delivered is stability, peace, and order. “
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He further argued that President Tinubu’s record as a former governor demonstrated his commitment to state autonomy, stressing that no other leader had fought harder for the rights of subnational governments.
According to him, the emergency decision was not driven by partisan interests but by the need to protect the state and by extension the federation.
