Dare Babalola
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has expressed grave concerns over the Supreme Court’s split judgment delivered on Monday in a suit challenging President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State, warning it could pave the way for authoritarianism in Nigeria.
The suit, SC/CV/329/2025, filed by the Attorneys-General of Adamawa and other states against the Attorney-General of the Federation and the National Assembly, questioned the President’s power to suspend elected officials, including the Governor and Deputy Governor, and democratic institutions like the Rivers State House of Assembly.
While the apex court struck out the suit for lack of a cause of action, its commentary on the issues has been widely seen as endorsing the President’s action.
In a statement by Ini Ememobong, PDP’s National Publicity Secretary on Monday, the party cautioned that the judgment’s interpretation poses “grave dangers” to Nigeria’s democracy.
Ememobong cited the legal principle of “expressio unius est exclusio alterius”, stressing that the Constitution clearly bars anyone but the State House of Assembly or a court from removing a Governor during their term.
The PDP argued the ruling could make state governments subservient to the federal government, encouraging states to join the ruling party to “connect to the centre,” and potentially justify suspending other institutions, including the judiciary, under the guise of “extraordinary measures to restore peace and security”.
Ememobong further emphasised, “We cannot reconcile how in a federation, not a unitary state, an elected President can be empowered to dismantle the democratic structures of a federating unit, sack elected officials and appoint leaders there, without consciously promoting authoritarianism and entrenching tyranny.”
The party urged the National Assembly to swiftly introduce constitutional safeguards to limit the President’s emergency powers and prevent abuse.
It also called on Nigerians, civil society, media, and the international community to defend constitutionalism, federalism, and the people’s electoral mandate, hoping the Supreme Court will clarify these boundaries in a future ruling.
The statement concluded with a plea for vigilance, emphasising the PDP’s commitment to protecting Nigeria’s democracy.
