The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has strongly criticised the Supreme Court, accusing it of empowering the President to act as a “constitutional tyrant” by affirming presidential authority to suspend elected governors and state assemblies during a state of emergency.
The party in a statement issued on Tuesday and signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, said the ruling poses a serious threat to Nigeria’s federal structure and democratic governance.
According to the ADC, the apex court’s position that the President has the “discretion to determine the measures required to restore peace and security” after declaring a state of emergency effectively grants the Presidency unchecked powers.
The party warned that such authority could be abused to undermine opposition-controlled states.
“The obvious implication is that a President could easily contrive a security situation in any ‘unfriendly’ state and proceed to suspend the governor and the House of Assembly,”
Abdullahi said, adding that the judgment contradicts the constitutional principle that no tier of government is superior to another.
The ADC described the ruling as “a dangerous precedent,” arguing that it concentrates excessive power at the centre and weakens state autonomy.
It further questioned the effectiveness of safeguards cited by the Supreme Court—proportionality, legislative oversight and judicial review—saying they are unrealistic under the current political climate.
“With a legislature that has reduced itself to an appendage of the Presidency and a judiciary that now prioritises the letter of the law over its spirit, these safeguards are illusory,” the party stated.
The ADC warned Nigerians that constitutional tyranny often emerges gradually, not through coups, and urged vigilance against what it described as the steady erosion of democratic institutions.
